Painted Masks
by Elsina
Summary: It is the time of a new festival in Konoha and Naruto wishes to take part. Putting on a disguise behind a mask he joins the crowd, however he runs into Sasuke and things go down hill. NaruSasu, Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

_**Painted Masks**_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything Naruto related. As in having a license. I do have a lot of merchandise though XD

**A/N:** This is part one. Part two will be worked on throughout the summer break and through till x-mas break. By then part two shall be finished.

**xXx**

Smooth polished wood, delicately painted in swirls of glimmering, dark colors. Black, silk ribbon, flowing down from both sides. All were parts that made up a mask, complete with the spaces for eyes to see and a small, thin cut for breaths to pass through. It was the only thing he could really call his own. The only item he found to be his most precious.

The only gift from the family he never knew. The family that couldn't be there for him as a child, helping him through the questions and aching pain. All because of one evil being. A being of nine-tails and unbelievable power.

The Kyuubi. The kitsune demon that ravaged his home-village. Turning everyone's life into a blinding nightmare.

Naruto cherished what small items were left to him, after having left his guardian. He loved the mask most of all, next to the only picture he had of his mother. It's beauty awed him and he loved being able to hide behind a mask that wouldn't easily crumble. He was also pleased that he couldn't be treated harshly behind the mask, when in proper disguise, mainly around this time of year.

This fragile item of his hung, slightly hidden from common view above his bed, carefully dusted and cleaned every chance he got. He was even more intrigued by the mask, as when he held it his normally jumpy hands were calm and unmoving. Acting as though one mishap in how the item was held would cause it to become dust.

Today, he would finally openly wear his mask in front of all. This wasn't because it was his birthday or even the day Kyuubi was sealed away inside of him. Today was the start of a new festival the village wanted to test out, in hopes of relieving the pain of that day. The festival still had its connections to Kyuubi in that everyone wore a mask or something fox related. This festival, because of the mask bit, allowed Naruto to freely walk around the crowds, without being scorned. Possibly the only festival.

This reason why is all the villagers that knew about him believed the demon vessel would not join in their festivities and fun. They all thought he would be indisposed or restrained, anything that might result in keeping the creature contained. As always, assuming is not a wise choice to make.

The young teen grinned, feeling relaxed a bit as he toyed with his limp, blonde hair. He had it grown out a bit more than people thought, because the spikes prevented it from hanging down. He groaned as he tried to make it look more alive by shaking his head a bit. It worked, pleasing him that for today he also didn't have to spike his hair. He never really wanted to wear his hair like that, but was indeed forced to. Like he was forced to wear that ridiculous orange jumpsuit.

This time he could wear the clothes he preferred in the colors that he wished. Which naturally would be dark colors since all good ninjas wore dark colors. Not a bright and noticeable orange color. Needless to say it also wasn't very easy to get the clothes he wanted since all the villagers wouldn't really let him buy items. He was lucky and bought these clothes while out on missions to different villages.

The outfit he really wanted to wear tonight was the first set of clothing he bought while away from Konoha itself. Well, not including the trip he took to the Country of the Wave (?). He had a long sleeved deep navy blue shirt and black cargo pants, the kind that fell loosely around the hips. He had a nice hip length and baggy violet jacket that contrasted well with the blue. Lastly came his most precious mask. The only thing off about it all was his hair, being the wrong shade of color.

Looking in a mirror he was very pleased with everything, admiring himself in a child-like demeanor. He smirked and made a few funny faces, even though he couldn't see them from behind his mask. He chuckled softly to himself, taking a brief moment to work his ninja magic on his hair. He made a few quick signs and watched as his hair changed to a deep forest green color.

When he finished he caught a glimpse of the clock and cursed loudly. The opening ceremony for the festival started at 8 o'clock and it was on the other side of the village. His clock read 7:45, which only gave him enough time to get there.

He sighed, throwing on some black sneakers and running out the door. He almost forgot his wallet and keys, but caught himself in time. He was slightly grumpy about the fact that he didn't have time to enjoy Ichiraku's Ramen. That place was literally his heaven on earth, the only place where he decided to eat at everyday without being told to.

He didn't quite understand why he really loved ramen, since it isn't at all healthy. Drawing a rational conclusion he figured that it was the only thing a child could easily make. Since it was easy to make, he lived. If it wasn't then he might not be where he stood with a status of ninja. That is what he would say to whoever asked, however the truth was he didn't like ramen all that much, but the little shop brought him peace of mind and an escape from the villagers.

Still annoyed, he ran past his favorite place to eat, drawing closer to the grounds. He could hear the sounds of excited people, all waiting for the ceremony to start. Waiting to enjoy the treats only served during festivals. He noticed the people as he ran through the streets, the people that normally would have whispered behind his back, not even notice that he walked by.

He was pleased, but also hurt in a deep way at the same time. When he felt like just turning around and going home, he came straight into the crowd for the festival. Then all thoughts of turning back, back to another night spent alone, were gone.

The crowd was abuzz; their excitement for the next three days was enough for anyone to hear. The smells of fresh, hot food wafted around everyone. A few merchants shouted their special items for the festival. The sounds of laughter and joy came from the booths where games were held. Children ran around, strangers were now friends.

He stared with awe at everything before him. For him it was a rare sight to see such unity and friendship among his fellow villagers. He deftly dodged a pair of children, brandishing small and blunt kunai. The sight made his hidden smile grow even larger. He would stop in and join in their games, but he had a personal mission to head towards the parade grounds.

He didn't actually head towards the grounds, but instead went into a tree nearby them. He knew that the grounds would be crowded with people and all the best seats were already taken. Besides, being in the trees could also be even better than front row on the side of the street.

So he settled himself down to wait the extra five minutes he had before the parade would begin. Just long enough for him to doze a bit and keep his energy up and at full.

He was always told he looked sour or grumpy. Moody from others and dark, he was also told how handsome he was from all the girls in the village. How he hated each and every one of them, trying to flaunt him around like a piece of jewelry or a handbag. It disgusted him; not a single girl would ever understand the real him.

So he did what he did best. Staying silent and emotionless. He would listen to their bickering and squawking, taking in bits and pieces of what they shouted to each other. He had only recently started this, amazed a bit at how much information they could leak out about other girls or themselves.

It didn't help him a bit that one of his teammates is one of those crazy girls. In fact he believes her to be one of the worst few after him. He didn't have anything personal against her, for if she weren't always all over him, he probably would consider dating her. Just once though.

Well, more like now. The pink-haired kunoichi, Sakura, managed to coax him to go to the festival with her. Mind you, he has no idea why or how she did it, all he knows is that he came. He came with her and is deeply irritated by it.

She was chattering away in her excitement, he was half listening to whatever she jabbered about. Trying with minor effort to release her hold on his arm. A scowl etched his porcelain features, as her grip just seemed to tighten around his helpless arm.

They were both heading towards the parade grounds, well more like one dragged the other there. Sakura had grown excited as she could hear the loud thrums from the Taiko drummers, loving the way it made her heart jump in her chest. Sasuke grudgingly let himself be led; he could hear the drums and hated how they drowned out all other noises. Feeling slightly vulnerable when he couldn't hear if anyone was sneaking up behind him.

He lets out a small breath when he felt the softer hand of Sakura gently release him as she jumped about in the crowd. She was babbling incessantly about the glimpses of things she could see over the taller villagers' heads. He grunted, not really caring for the crowd and noise that enveloped his entire being.

"Sasuke-kun! You should see the lovely Maiko dancers on the first float. They look so elegant." She cheered, lightly tapping his shoulder and pointing in the direction of the large float down the strip of road.

Slightly curious he shifted forward onto his tiptoes, scanning a little ways ahead and spotting the float. He was slightly mesmerized by the sight of the painted women and their elegant movements to the beats of the drums. He almost felt himself pulled into a trance from their graceful movements, slowly seeing the story their bodies were telling.

Sakura smiled softly to herself as she finally got the crush of her life to take some interest in what was going on. She watched with him as the float passed, not daring to touch him in any form. If she did she would break his trance and not be able to do much else the rest of the night.

When the float passed, he stood there in slight amazement. The story they had told with their movements was of Izanagi and Izanami, when they had completed their first walk around the land and the second walk they had to take. The story mixed with the birth of Amaterasu and how she hid behind a rock and refused to come out and light the world with her glowing warmth until a party of her fellow gods enticed her to peek out and be snatched back into the sky.

Then the float was gone, bringing forth the next one. It was just a simple dance of the dragon, telling another brief story that was well known to all in the Country of Fire. It was mainly a little bit of Konoha's own history and it bored him to no end. So he looked around him, spotting a tree not to far off in the distance.

Seeking freedom from the excited crowd, he silently left Sakura's side and made his way there. Here, by the tree, he could still see the parade if something caught his fancy and easily get a better view of it. He casually leaned against with his arms crossed and eyes focused on the street ahead of him.

Sakura had noticed him leave, slightly upset that he didn't make any motion to her. She shrugged it off, not following. It was true she was almost obsessed with him, but she also knew when she wasn't really wanted. She just acted like she didn't. Right now she could tell he didn't want anything else to do with her for the night. She felt it was her own fault for dragging him somewhere he most certainly wouldn't have liked.

She sighed, always knowing her efforts were pointless when it came to the village's ninja genius. Running a hand through her short, cherry-pink hair she pushed her way through the crowd. She was on a hunt for a group of her friends to hang out with the whole night.

Azure eyes snapped open as the jingle of bells from the dragon float reverberated through his ears. Shaking him deeply and almost making him yelp in pain. His sensitive ears could pick up the higher frequencies of sounds a bell made and it pained him deeply.

He was also upset that he had missed the first float. He had wanted to see the Maiko dancers and watch their dazzling dance and hear the story they had to tell. He sighed softly and looked around, not caring much for the current float before him. It was then that he spotted his fellow teammate beneath him, leaning against the tree trunk and looking slightly bored.

Panic rose within his chest, fearing he might get caught and face the villagers' scorn and hatred. Looking pathetic and weak in front of the only partially stable thing in his life. Then slowly he calmed down, recalling that right now he didn't look like a demon-vessel to them, just a regular person.

He sighed, still feeling nervous at finding his rival beneath his spot in the tree. The sound of shouts brought his attention back to the parade and what he saw ripped his already severely wounded heart to shreds.

It was a float with an image of Kyuubi no kitsune, ravaging the land and killing dozens of shinobi. It was a float that reminded the village of what this day truly was about. He watched in horror, pleased that he had a mask to hide away his tear-filled face. The image shifted to Yondaime riding upon his giant frog friend, his coat fluttering in the breeze. His eyes glaring down at the Kyuubi yet also filled with a deep heart-felt pain.

Then a majestic battle took place and slowly lead up to his great sacrifice in sealing the demon inside a newborn child. Naruto watched, freely sobbing as he could feel the silent anger every-single adult felt towards him grow. His life felt like it just took an even worse turn.

Yet, the images didn't end there. It continued, showing him as a small child, crying deeply all by himself in his lonely apartment. Muttering to himself, asking why no one liked him, wondering what it was he had done to be treated this way. A loud thundering crash was heard and stopped the images as Tsunade appeared in full fury.

She bellowed out in her rage to the ones working on the float and to the villagers. Shocking everything into silence. "How dare you! How dare you all! You should feel ashamed for yourselves for this blatant act. What gives you the right to show such things without the boy's permission? I'm deeply hurt and disappointed with all of you. The parade will continue, but this float will no longer be within it!" She yelled and vanished along with the float.

He thanked Tsunade deeply for her intervention and protection. There were definitely kids his own age or younger that would have seen things he didn't want anyone to see about himself and his past.

He shifted when he heard a confused jumble of words come from below him. Watching, as Sasuke seemed transfixed to the spot where the float once was. He was pleased when he shook his head and muttered indistinct plans to himself and looked up into the tree. A soft sound in the still silent grounds brought his attention straight towards him.

"Who are you? And why are you in the tree?" His silky and dark voice asked, echoing slightly in the blonde's shocked ears. At once the sounds of the parade started up again with a buzz about what they just saw, enveloping both boys within its clutches yet again.

Quickly thinking up a false name to go with his fake image he responded to his rival. "My name is Susumu Yoshimoto. As to why I am in a tree is none of your business." He smirked behind his mask, almost laughing at the death glare he received.

"May I ask, Sasuke Uchiha, as to why you are in such a place as this? From all the things I have heard about you, I took it that you hated all things social."

"Hn…" Came his reply as Sasuke deftly leapt into the tree, taking a seat on a branch next to him. He was awed by the sight of this unfamiliar person before him, dressed in such deep colors and hidden behind a delicately painted mask.

The spiky and wild deep forest green hair intrigued him as he thought of who might have such vivid hair. He felt a strange attraction towards him, even though he hadn't even seen the guy's face yet.

"As unresponsive as the rumors say as well." He chided slightly; the grin could be heard in his voice. He turned towards his companion in the tree, taking in the pale flesh and darkness about him. He was pleased to see that the only thing he had related to the fair was on the back of his normal shirt. On top with his clan symbol was an intricately detailed image of Kyuubi with a flare of flame around him.

"Well sorry." He muttered, just content to sit and watch the other floats drift slowly by with other themes to them. His mind slowly drifting back to the image of a crying young child with blonde hair and faint whisker marked cheeks. He almost didn't notice those faint markings from behind the chubby hands of the child, but he spotted them, at once his quick mind making the connection to Naruto.

"That was some spectacle earlier… with the Hokage storming in there like that. Don't you think?" He asked Sasuke. He wanted to see if maybe he hadn't watched the last image or made a connection as to who that small child was.

"Whatever…" He mumbled in reply, not really paying attention to the person beside him anymore.

Naruto growled in frustration and reached over and pinched the young shinobi's side, causing him to start in surprise. At once he was pinned by an another death glare and couldn't help but laugh.

"What the hell was that for?!" Sasuke yelled, severely irritated. It didn't help that he could hear Susumu's laughter, echoing majestically from behind his mask.

"To get your true attention baka. Though I got to say, you don't come off as a person that is slightly ticklish." He teased and waggled a finger at the ebony haired teammate of his. He couldn't help but chuckle again when he got a growl in response.

"Alright, I'm sorry." 'Susumu' cheered when Sasuke shifted into an attack pose. The words didn't come fast enough though and he found himself falling through the tree towards the ground.

He yelped as a branch easily broke against his back, sending up bright colors of pain. Knowing that if he didn't land right he would be in severe pain, he used that broken branch to flip himself about and easily land on his feet. Then silently he held out his arms and caught the still free falling Sasuke before he hit the ground flat on his back.

Needless to say, the genius of Konoha's ninjas no longer felt that way about himself. He was silently cursing himself for jumping the boy in a freaking tree for crying out loud. If his victim fell he would have as well. He struggled to be put down from Susumu's grasp, feeling like a total idiot and embarrassed.

Naruto easily set him down and laughed. "That wasn't a really bright move there. Any how, how about we grab a bite to eat together eh?" He asked, blushing greatly behind the mask, which was miraculously unharmed and still upon his face.

Sasuke growled in his anger and irritation, but complied with his request. He wouldn't admit it, but he was really hungry and really wanted some takoyaki and other foods. He just nodded, silently letting his new found companion lead the way through the slightly crowded streets to any stand.

Naruto was pleased that Sasuke had complied, feeling giddy and girlish at this rare opportunity. His first instinct was to go to a ramen stand, but he fought it harshly. He was not here for ramen but to enjoy foods he couldn't normally eat. So he led Sasuke towards a takoyaki stand and ordered two for each of them.

Sasuke sighed softly and lowly so no one could hear. He was pleased to be lead to the first food-stand on his list; not that he'd ever mention anything about it. He waited off to the side as 'Susumu' ordered and paid for the food. Mildly pleased when the other teen joined him with two containers of food and napkins.

"Well, here we are. Two orders of takoyaki for you and two for me, enjoy! The guy at the stand told me that there are tables in this direction." He cheered and handed off Sasuke's food while he settled down at a table underneath a canopy with lights.

Sasuke smirked to himself as he saw a chance to see who the person beneath the mask really looked like. Since it was obvious he couldn't eat with it still on. He quickly sat down across from him, slowly opening his container of food while he eyed Susumu.

Naruto had of course foreseen this when he mentioned food. He wasn't a total idiot like everyone thought. While walking towards the stand he had performed additional touches to his jutsu to hide any resemblance of his real self.

When he sat down, he could feel Sasuke's eyes on him and watching his movements. He smiled, reaching up slowly and untying the silk ribbon and catching the mask in his free hand. Smiling at the choked gasp that emitted from Sasuke's throat.

He had hidden his azure eyes, knowing that their expressiveness would be a dead give away. Instead he had deep green eyes flecked with amber; he had also made them smaller and less expressive. He had hidden his whisker marks underneath the image of smooth and fragile looking skin, despite the still lingering tan color.

"Hmm?" He asked as he set his mask on the table and lifted the stick of takoyaki towards his smaller mouth.

Sasuke didn't know what to say really. He was stunned into silence by the beauty the man before him held. He was silently reminded of Naruto even though the man didn't look a thing like him. The only thing that felt the same was his hair and how the man held himself.

Blushing and picking up his own stick, he shook his head and mumbled something. Silent he quickly ate his food and wishing to break free from him and think to himself.

Naruto sensed his eagerness to leave and also caught the blush. He chuckled silently as he finished off the food as well, putting his mask back into place and releasing the jutsu. He put a finger to his hidden chin in thought as he scanned the area. He tilted his head when he caught sight of a ring toss game.

"Sasuke-san? Would you like to play some games with me as well?" He asked, trying to keep the boy close to him. He really wanted to see if he could get Sasuke to be a little more open with people, even if it was just a little.

Sasuke looked up, saddened slightly at the sight of the mask back into place. Distracted and wanting to just ignore his need to think and get to know this person, he nodded a silent yes. Getting lost in the sudden flurry of excitement that overtook him when a familiar hand clasped over his own and dragging him towards the stand.

Sakura, Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Shino, Hinata, Kiba, and Gaara stared in shock as Tsunade had interrupted the parade. They were enjoying themselves, paying half-attention to the float of Kyuubi, when they spotted that same sad image.

They were shocked into silence; their trained shinobi eyes had all spotted the faint lines on the young child's face. They all made the same silent connection as Sasuke and felt terrible in their own way.

Sakura made more connections than the others did since she was Naruto's teammate. Everything flashed through her mind and added to her heavy guilt for how she had treated the boy, how she had always brushed him off and said hurtful things. Tears formed in her eyes and she stood crying in the middle of the crowd.

Ino sympathized with Sakura, knowing and understanding how her fellow friend felt. Her own feelings weren't as strong for she wasn't always around Naruto, but she still brushed him off the same way.

Chouji was stunned enough that he even stopped eating his BBQ chips. He just stood there, frozen as he felt the same as everyone else slightly. He seemed to understand Naruto a little better than before. Shikamaru, a hand on Chouji's shoulder silently felt his own mixed emotions for him.

Lee just stood in silence, an odd happening for him, but smiled softly as he spotted the slight likeness they both shared. Tenten just stood beside Ino and Sakura, crying slightly as well. Neji had fallen to the ground, staring straight ahead, thinking about the fight he had against him in the chuunin exams, and going on about destiny and fate. Not realizing that Naruto had a worse setting than he could have ever believed.

Kiba and Shino just stood in silence as well. One was not even really thinking and with Shino it was hard to tell what he even thought. Hinata was silent herself. She wasn't crying like the other girls, nor was she feeling sorry. In fact her feelings for Naruto grew even more as she saw a bit of herself inside of him.

Gaara. No one stood near Gaara out of pure fear. Sand was swirling about him as he found himself feeling like he wasn't the only one with a monster inside of him. A demon that everyone feared. Yet, he was puzzled about why the demon didn't seem to terrorize the boy. Why Naruto didn't thirst for blood like he did and didn't put fear into the villager's into respecting him? It all puzzled him.

The mood was snapped harshly when they all shook off their deep feelings. At once crowding together and murmuring a plan amongst themselves for their companion. For the person they now saw worthy and stronger than them all, to achieve his dreams in life. Silently plotting on ways to show Naruto they did care for him yet not let him know they knew of his deep secret.

Reaching an agreement they left in-groups of two. Gaara went with Neji, Sakura went with Lee, Ino went with Chouji, Hinata went with Kiba, Shikamaru went with Tenten, and left Shino to go by himself.

All were eager to get everything together before noon tomorrow, even if it meant staying up all night long in order to do so.

Time had passed with Naruto and Sasuke. Each had emptied their wallets on various games and food all throughout the night, enjoying each other's company greatly. Sasuke had even lightened up a bit and had laughed freely when Naruto struggled to get the goldfish with the flimsy paper net. He had succeeded, but only after getting soaked and his prize flopping about in his hair.

Naruto was pleased to hear his normally expressionless and emotionless teammate laugh freely like that. He didn't even get upset that his hair was limp and stuck to his freed face. He had eventually taken off the mask since they frequently stopped to eat food, not knowing how much it pleased Sasuke to see such a handsome face.

Which was true. Sasuke felt a strong attraction for his new friend, slightly familiar, yet there all the same. So when the mask was no longer covering that graceful face, he felt happier than before.

They were done with the fair for that night, arms full of various prizes they had won for winning the games. They were heading towards a sweet dumpling stand before they would say their good-byes for the night. Each silently hoping that the next night of the festival they could see each other again.

Dumping their prizes on the table, they joked calmly with each other and nibbled on their purchased food. Teasing and recalling the funnier moments of the night. Each feeling a crushing weight descend upon their hearts for different reasons. Naruto felt saddened that he would never see this side of Sasuke ever again the next day, not even tomorrow night. The pain he felt as he slowly realized what he was getting himself into was too much. Sasuke was worried that this was all false or that the guy before him would just forget about him and not even show up the next night.

They grew silent when they finished and gathered up the countless prizes again. Carefully separating the conjoined piles, each not noticing the mask got lumped into Sasuke's pile of items.

"Well. I guess its time to go home. May I walk you?" Naruto asked. Feeling slightly worried he would get pushed away and end everything right then and there. He was shocked into silence when he received a mumbled yes, followed by a light blush of pink.

Naruto smiled, bowing slightly before the Uchiha heir, calmly walking beside him in silence. Each thinking to themselves, each feeling the slight tension in the lingering in the air. Sasuke was feeling his growing attraction, despite all his efforts. Naruto was trying his best to hide his attraction and deep worry.

What was really only a matter of minutes felt like hours for the both of them as awkwardness only added to their problems. They felt pleased, yet worried at the sight of the Uchiha home, not wanting to say goodbye and let such a wonderful night end.

They stood before one another; jutsu hidden blue eyes stared into ebony, feeling himself get drawn to the depths of Sasuke's soul. Unknowingly bringing himself closer towards him. He could feel his breath hit that pale flesh, noticed the shiver that racked Sasuke's body at the faint touch.

He felt something in him awaken for the slightly older boy before him, bringing their faces closer so that lips almost touched. Naruto dropped his bag of items carefully, freeing his arms to do what he wanted.

Sasuke felt his breath hitch in his throat as he felt the other boy's warmth caress his cooler skin, raising his temperature and staining his cheeks red. He felt something inside him stir and butterflies flutter about within his belly. Blissful heat cupped his cheek, his eyes slowly closing as he leaned into the hand.

Naruto was awed by this stunning reaction he got from him. Tenderly he closed the distance between their lips, shivering in delight at the electric fire that coursed through him from Sasuke's lips. Just that small contact was enough to make himself jump into life, making him want even more of the body before him.

Sasuke felt a wave of emotion rush through him like water through a broken dam when their lips met. He took in the smell of brown sugar and cinnamon that radiated from him, spurring his senses even further. Without thought he dropped his own stuff and wrapped his arms around 'Susumu's' neck, turning the gentle kiss into something filled with passion.

He couldn't take it; he moved the hand that had cupped Sasuke's cheek to the small of his back, wrapping the other into the raven colored hair. He nipped at the deliciously soft lips beneath his, almost begging for entrance to the moist cavern of his mouth.

He complied with the silent demand, moaning loudly as the taste of fire and power flooded his senses when their tongues met. At once a fight for dominance began as tongues danced elegantly around each other enticing them and adding to the lust they felt.

Naruto growled almost possessively in the kiss, capturing the darting tongue of his rival, gently sucking on the thick muscle. He recalled the hand on Sasuke's back, pushing it forward so they were right up against each other. Confined desire against desire, sending sparks of pleasure through each other's mind.

He almost couldn't remember to breathe, but he still pulled back, moving down to the pale flesh of the brunette's neck. Licking, kissing, nipping the area, pleased with the soft whimpers and moans that it elicited.

He smiled even more when he felt long, graceful fingers get entangled into his hair and felt legs wrap around his waist. He groaned in ecstasy at the pleasure that small movement brought to him, egging him on for more of the lithe body and pale flesh.

He could have sworn he would've gotten it as well, but a bark from a dog snapped their attention and brought them back into reality. They stared at each other's disheveled appearances, finding themselves only turned on even more. Silently they picked up their bags and Naruto turned to leave.

"Wait!" Sasuke cried out, feeling panic well up within him. Naruto turned around with a still glazed look to him, cheeks flushed and his pants tight. "Will you be at the festival tomorrow?" He asked quietly. Feeling vulnerable again and slightly heartbroken at the thought he would hear a no.

Naruto paused to think. Continuing this charade would only hurt them both, Sasuke more than it would hurt him. Yet he wanted it to go on, wanted to feel the acceptance of his lifetime rival. Wanted to claim his rival as his own and no one else's.

A safe reply would be a simple maybe. That should tell Sasuke to not get his hopes up on seeing him again. Of course he would still be hurt, but it was the only option he could come up with. So, he went with that option, not hiding the small-depressed smile as he turned back around and headed home to bed.

Sasuke didn't know what to do. He almost felt like crying, yet he almost felt like cheering out loud. His mind filled with 'Susumu' almost had made him forget about the scene at the parade. With that detail recalled when Susumu was no longer in sight, he went inside his home. Shivering at how cold it was and lonely it felt, slowly thinking to himself as he made his way towards bed.

Tsunade was upset and angry with everyone and everything. After that escapade last night she wanted to storm the nobles together and demand an explanation, but was slowly forced to realize she couldn't. It only doubled the fierce emotions she felt and found herself ordering every noble to her office at once when the time seemed worthy.

She was pleased to see as one by one nobles entered the room. A twisted smile was contorted on her face, promising the noble who did that stunt last night great pain. She watched some fidget and others just stare straight ahead.

"Who authorized that float last night?" She demanded right away, watching as a few flinched at her harsh tone.

She was met with silence as not a single noble spoke. She was about to slam her hand on the desk and start blackmailing, but froze when the youngest noble stepped forth. The noble was probably a year older than Sasuke and it was stunning to see such a young child of 17 with a status of true power.

Curious Tsunade glared at her. "Who are you?" She asked, taking in how the girl didn't flinch or anything when she spoke.

The girl stood tall, her hair was the color of starlight, glimmering faintly from where it rested along her backside. Her eyes were a stunning silvery gray and showed her hidden inner strength and power. She was dressed in the regular noble robes and colored in colors of fire for her Country.

"My name is Tsuki, daughter of the recently deceased second leading noble in all of the Fire Country." She reported to the Hokage, no emotion on her face as she stared straight ahead and waited.

Tsunade was shocked to hear that this was the genius child of that family. Shocked even more as she recalled that said family had their own bloodline limit like the Hyuuga and the Uchiha. She blinked as she tired to figure out why the child had stepped forth.

"Are you the one then? The one who put on that terrible show?" She asked, her voice lower than before as the anger welled up inside of her again as she thought of Naruto and how he must be doing at the time.

Tsuki nodded. "Yes I did. What of it Tsunade-sama?" She asked, still staring straight ahead.

Tsunade shivered at the cold voice, eyebrows knitting together in her confusion. "How did you come to know Naruto's story well enough to put on such a show?"

It was then that the girl seemed to show emotion. Her head lowered and she looked right into Tsunade's eyes and caught her within her gaze. Entrancing her and opening both of their minds a little more freely.

"My father told me. I knew ever since I was little and could recall anything. He knew he had done a taboo in telling me of the boy's true story. He knew it was against Sandaime's rule." She paused, freeing Tsunade from that chilling gaze.

"He wanted some child that was the boy's own age to understand and know what the boy felt and went through. Foreseeing the hardships the boy would be greeted with later on in life, despite Yondaime's wish for him to be a hero." She had continued, ignoring Tsunade's wide-eyed look.

"Plus I grew up with the boy. My father was one of the first foster parent's that small child had in his weaker moments of life. We were probably the only ones who granted him true kindness and saw his potential and worth. That is why I know more about him than any other person in this village."

Tsunade gasped, looking closer at the young woman before her. "So your trying to say that what you did was to try and open everyone else's eyes to the great scar they inflicted upon him, for something he had no control over."

Tsuki nodded. Taking a step back and watching Tsunade's movements curiously. She had waved for all the nobles to leave the room, all in silence at the gall of the younger being amongst them.

"Truly a genius and I ruined her plans… damn it…" Cursed Tsunade as she was left to contemplate the damage she had unknowingly inflicted upon countless people.

Tsuki heard her soft murmur and sighed. Leaning against the door she had left through. With that done with, she decided it was time to pay a visit to the boy that held a soft place inside her heart. Hoping that he could recall her and know who she is.

Sakura sighed; brushing her sweat drenched bangs away from her flustered face. Ino grunted in slight pain from where she had taken a seat next to her, watching the others as they worked. They had finished painting a large banner all by themselves and needed the guys to hang it up.

As if on cue when they opened their mouths to ask for help, Lee appeared right beside Chouji. In cheery silence the grabbed the banner, yelling for Gaara to come over to them and help. The Kazekage slowly ambled towards them, eyeing the banner they held in their hands and just nodded.

Sand pooled around him as he formed a few quick seals, watching as it boosted them as high as they needed to go. Neji took interest and activated Byakugan to direct them and place the banner up properly.

All collapsed onto the ground, cheering for getting one of the harder parts done. Except for Gaara who just continued to look at the banner.

They were almost done, thanks to a healthy supply of refreshments from Chouji's mom and Lee's super speed. Everyone else's skills helped greatly as well in getting the plan set.

In fact Hinata, Tenten and Kiba were in the kitchen, happily preparing food. More like Hinata and Tenten dealt with the food while Kiba kept getting underfoot. Begging occasionally to try some of the finished products. Shino was busy using his bugs to help with balloons that kept getting underfoot. Saving them from getting popped and forcing them to make more.

All in all they were pleased with the finished idea, smiling amongst themselves happily. They pestered Shino into going out with a letter to Naruto's house and rested and readied themselves until the time came. Wondering where Sasuke himself was, they sent out Shikamaru, who oddly saw no problem in delivering the other letter.

He was groggy and tired. When he went home the first thing he did was take a cold shower. Which stung slightly, but eased the tension he had felt all the way home from Sasuke's house. Only to find that the early morning dream required him to do so again. He growled in irritation, slightly pleased that he didn't wake in cold sweat from his constant nightmares.

He let his hair dry freely, occasionally brushing back limp strands that stuck to his face. Relaxing on his sagging couch with his home cooked breakfast of eggs and hash browns. Eating his food slowly as his mind wandered freely about last night, purposefully ignoring that float's display of something personal to him.

Finished with his meal he walked over towards a large fish tank, dropping a few breadcrumbs from his toast into the water. Smiling as the fish, five in all, ate happily at his measly offering. He had only found a tank last night and had yet to buy more items that would make the fishes' home more suitable.

Turning away from the tank he headed towards the bag full of last night's prizes. He was going to sort them and put them away and get rid of any that he had no use for. Meaning he was going to place them in a box inside his closet. He had kept most of them, throwing only a few into the box, but grew puzzled as he discovered his precious mask was missing.

"I could have sworn that I put it in the bag…" He mumbled, getting ready to search his discarded clothes for the precious item. Only to find his attention drawn towards the door as someone knocked upon the scratched wooden surface.

Curious he peeked through the small eyehole to see who it was. Finding himself staring at a familiar silver haired beauty. On instinct he opened the door, greeted by a warm smile from the other teen before him, noting the letter she held in her hand.

"Naru-chan!" Tsuki cried in delight at the sight of his face. Her silent promise broken as she reverted back to her childhood nickname for him, even throwing herself into his arms, laughing at his stunned and shocked expression.

At first his mind couldn't think, didn't seem to know who this odd person was, but that cry of his name brought forth the memories from an age he'd never thought he could remember. A name came to him and he softly uttered it, smiling as his mind clicked together all the pieces.

"Tsuki-chan!" He yelled in return as he recalled the images of a younger Tsuki, hugging him tightly against herself, soothing him to sleep and whispering words of love into his ears. She had been his teddy bear and promised him that one-day he would understand why the villagers treated him the way they did. Told him that if he just made them look at him, forced them to see him, they would one day accept him as a person.

She was the reason he wasn't like Gaara. He hugged her closer to him, tears falling from his face once more as he felt all his problems well up, just like in those long gone days. She could sense his need to cry; rubbing his back and silently telling him to let it all go. Skillfully taking them inside and closing the door to prevent interruptions.

Tsuki smiled happily, not caring that her shoulder was soaked with salty tears as Naruto freely cried. She had shifted him a bit so she held him in her lap like when they were younger, mouth to his ear and whispering silent words of hope and strength for him. Letting her hands massage his back and occasionally run through his hair.

She let out a soft sigh as she could hear him slowing down, reaching the end of everything he had pent up for many years. Smiling at him warmly as she kissed his cheeks and wiped away a track of tears with a dry sleeve.

Chuckling softly as he muttered and continuously murmured an apology, wiping away the last signs of his tears. Just like when he was small, always feeling like he had done something wrong. She shushed the mumbled "gomens" and nuzzled his cheek, her hard silver gray eyes filled with the warmth and love she felt for him.

"Onee-chan… I missed you…" He mumbled curling up in her lap, ear to her chest like before. Taking in the sounds of her heartbeat and breaths, almost feeling his eyes close and drift off to sleep.

"Neh, Naruto-nii-san… don't fall asleep just yet. I have two things for you." She told him softly, slowly shifting him out of her lap and handing him a small package from within her robes. "This is from me." She then handed him the letter she had intercepted from Shino. "This, I believe, is from all of your friends."

She blushed as she recalled the silent boy, face and eyes hidden from view. She at once saw that he was from the Aburame family and noticed how she took an interest in him. She shook herself mentally and focused on the younger boy before her, the only one that she saw as her true younger brother.

Naruto took the offered items from Tsuki, ignoring the letter first and focused on the package. He carefully ripped it open and brought out the item hidden inside. He looked up with a quizzical gaze to Tsuki, who instantly blushed.

"I know you may be to old for such a gift as this, but I thought you might appreciate it for when I can't be there for you." She mumbled, looking at her delicate fingers.

In his hand, Naruto held two small plushies. One was made in the image of Tsuki and even smelled just like her. The other was a cutesified image of Kyuubi with a small Yondaime attached.

He didn't know what to say, so he let instinct take over. He hugged them both close to his chest, taking in the faint scent that they held and feeling the slight calm they brought to him. He then hugged Tsuki in his gratitude for such a wonderful gift.

"Onee-chan, thank you so much. They're the first gift I have ever received and therefore the best one ever since it came from you." She laughed and lightly hugged him back. Telling him just how much it pleased her as well that he had enjoyed the two small items.

"Now open up the letter from your friends. I'm curious as to what they have to say to you." She egged him on. Truly curious as to what was written inside the small envelope.

He nodded and slowly opened the letter, pulling out the contents from inside. Shocked to see more than three types of writing and finding it coated in sand. Quickly he read the letter, eyes growing wide at the urgency of it all.

He looked to Tsuki who was silently watching him read the letter, causing him to read a section of it out loud. "Naruto. Please come over to Chouji's house at around noon today. This is concerning a mission and it is of utmost importance that you show up. Sincerely…" Then he read off all the names of his friends.

"Well then. Sounds like a debriefing before actually going. So, don't worry about packing anything just yet Naruto. Instead, why don't you get ready and put on fresh clothes and come out with me for some ramen and other errands I must run until it reaches noon?" She asked, knowing about what his friends had in store for him. She didn't get her spot with nobles just because of her birth line.

He nodded, quickly changing into tear free clothes and washing his face. Leaving Tsuki to just silently throw off her robes and reveal the hidden outfit she had on beneath. She was wearing a gray tank top with fine grooves that stretched out over her decent sized chest. She wore casual black cotton pants and had changed into black sandals.

Both ready, they left the apartment with smiles on their faces and hand in hand. Ready to enjoy themselves all day today.

Silk sheets tumbled softly to the floor, the figure from the bed rising up languidly, almost catlike in his movements. Black eyes glared at the glowing red of his alarm clock, slowly taking in the time. The harsh sounds of knocking reached his ears and made him growl deeply in irritation.

Determined to just ignore the annoying sound, he burrowed underneath his pillow and mumbled incoherently. The knocking, however, persisted in a lazy rhythm. Then he could hear a bored and tired sounding voice.

"Oi! Uchiha! Get your ass up, I've got a letter for you…" Came Shikamaru's voice to his ears.

Cursing the cruel hand fate had dealt him for dealing with morning people, the dark haired ninja clambered out of bed and towards his door. He didn't care that he was still wearing just his boxers and nothing else.

Shikamaru blinked in shock as he found himself face to face with the death glare of one upset Uchiha. "This is to bothersome…" He grumbled handing the 'grizzly bear' the letter telling of the 'mission ' they had for Naruto and asking if he would kindly bring a gift for the boy.

Obsidian eyes glared holes through the paper, but jerked the bleary eyed teen to full alertness. His eyes once again turned to glare at Shikamaru, a hint of question in them.

"Why should I do this?" He asked in a gruff voice, still adjusting to speech after a long night.

Shikamaru sighed, kicking a stone off to the side. A faint "troublesome" could be heard muttered as he focused on Sasuke's face.

"Where you at the festival last night?" He asked.

"Yes. Why do you wish to know and care?" Came a harsh reply.

"Then did you see the float… the Kyuubi float?"

"Again, yes I did."

"Well, this whole thing is because that float opened our eyes."

Sasuke grew silent as that image passed his mind's eye once more. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in confusion as Sasuke nodded and replied to the question pertaining to coming.

"I'll think about it." Then before another word could be said, the door was slammed shut right in Shikamaru's face. He sighed and turned away to tell the others the message was delivered.

Sasuke stood in the foyer of his home, the letter in his hand and his mind reeling. He saw no need to join in this plan the others had since he forced himself to forego any strong ties with people. Yet at the same time he desired to go to the party, to see Naruto again. He grew confused as last night with Susumu flashed through his mind as well.

He sighed, running a hand through tangled hair and heading to his room. If he were to make a decision he first wanted to go through the pile of prizes he obtained last night.

He smirked with a cat-like gleam as he reached under his bed and pulled out a basket and the bag of prizes. He dumped the bag and sorted them, slowly eyeing the bag as it emptied into the basket or trash.

He kept going in a methodical pace, until the touch of smooth and polished paint broke his focus. He pulled out the mask and stared at it in awe. He caressed it with one hand, trained eyes scoping for any flaws and finding none.

"What's this doing in my bag?" He asked himself. "More importantly, Susumu will be wanting this back." He grew silent, hesitantly sniffing the inside of the mask. He broke into a smile as the faint scent of brown sugar and cinnamon wafted through his nose.

"Maybe I'll still go to the festival tonight after all…" He grinned, his hope rising with the thought of seeing Susumu once more. With that thought in mind he got up and headed into his shower to prepare for the day's shopping trip for this "plan."

The sky-eyed teen sighed in deep boredom as Tsuki dragged him into another clothing store. The entire time they were out, she was constantly stared at for two reasons and he was stared at for only one reason.

It didn't help the situation that Tsuki was dead set on buying him a real wardrobe even though the villager's wouldn't permit him to wear the clothes out in public.

He smiled though when she **s**tepped in front of him with a black long sleeved shirt with the Kanji for power written on it and small phoenixes flying about it. She also held up black and white cargo pants.

"I like that combination…" He muttered to himself, shocking her by coming close and reaching out for them. "Let me try them on…" He paused when he saw harsh glares come from the employees there. "Well… let me check the sizes…"

Tsuki sighed, her heart heavy as she noticed the glares as well. "Ignore them. If I must I will exert my power as a noble over them and teach 'em a lesson." She teased in a haughty manner, grinning at the face Naruto made.

"Well… I guess I'll try them on…" He hesitantly took the offered clothes and headed into the dressing room. Tsuki just explained to him that she was going to continue searching the shelves for more clothes for him to try and pick out.

When he was done, physically seeing the clothes upon him he was stunned. The shirt was a snug fit, but still allowed movement and the pants had plenty of areas to hide weapons within. He had to admit he looked hot in this outfit with his disheveled blonde hair and sky blue eyes.

"I like this one!!!" He shouted out to Tsuki as he changed back into his own outfit.

"Good…" Came her reply from outside the door as she held another outfit in her hands.

He looked at this new outfit and tilted his head to the side. There was another pair of black cargo pants, but this one han blue trimmings and the shirt just plain confused him. It was a button up shirt, but it had intricate details all about it, making the whole shirt appear blue, when the base was really black. He looked at the image up by the right shoulder and smiled, it was the image of a fierce wolf bearing a sword within its mouth.

"This looked nice as well… how do you find such things?" He asked her as she seemed pleased and snatched the other outfit from him.

"Called me being a woman and knowing how to shop." She smiled and headed towards the counter with those two special outfits and a bunch of other random outfits for him to start wearing outside the village. Or for when he makes a stand and stops listening to the villagers.

He looked up at the clock and gasped. "Umm… Tsuki, make it quick since its almost noon…"

"Shit!" She cursed and just threw a slip of paper at the clerk, a special one that allowed her to take the clothes without paying right away, but instead later.

Then the two left to rush back to Naruto's home for her to get ready and slap something nice on Naruto and make a dash to Chouji's home.

xXx

Sasuke growled in frustration as he looked at the items lined up on the shelves. He didn't want to buy a gift since he never does for anyone else, but the others seemed to have the intent to kill if he didn't buy one this time.

He picked up a package and put it back down. He had no idea what the dobe would like to receive and thought his gift would be ignored anyway since they fought all the time. He sighed as he tried to think about something.

He had already gone to about seven stores and not a single item stood out to him. He left the one he was in, adding another store to the list. Black eyes looked up in interest as he looked at the store across the street. It was an antique store and he smiled. In such stores he was bound to find something good for the dobe.

He ran in and searched everything and finally found something. Sasuke was pleased and looked at the time. He needed to get moving over to Chouji's now for fear of some anger people.

xXx

"Places people!" Shouted Sakura as she noticed the time. At once the groups hid, inwardly smiling as they masked all sounds and were still. Sasuke just continued standing in the corner, looking as cold as ever, but still hidden.

Chouji's mother chuckled from her seat in the kitchen and her job was to answer the door and lead Naruto over to them. When the doorbell rang you could feel the tension and excitement everyone felt from where they hid.

They could hear voices, three in all and they grew louder as they came closer to the sliding doors of the room. The door slid open and Tsuki and Naruto walked in, slightly confused as to why it was so dark in the room and why it was empty when…

"SURPRISE!!!" Everyone shouted and the light flicked on to reveal Sakura and the others, leaping from their respective hiding areas. Sasuke had flicked on the lights and said nothing.

Tsuki grinned knowingly at Naruto, whereas he stood there clutching his chest in shock. All around him were birthday decorations and a pile of gifts on the coffee table next to the seats. He felt like tearing up and crying right there as he saw how much everyone cared for him.

"I…I don't know what to say guys. This is so unexpected… it's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me…" He kinda clung to Tsuki, exposing himself to the others just how much this meant to him.

"We were at the festival last night…" Began Sakura, who was shoved aside by Ino.

"And there was this float…" Ino was pushed back aside by Hinata, which stunned the others.

"This float showed us something we never understood about you before…" She spoke boldly and moved as Shikamaru stepped up.

"We wish to apologize for how we treated you…" Then Kiba butted in.

"And show you that we do care for you… butt monkey…" He snickered as he teased Naruto slightly and let Shino through.

"This is a party for you, the one with the strongest heart in all of Konoha."

Gaara stepped forward. "Also the one who teaches many things to others and heals wounded hearts…"

Then Lee jumped up. "This is to you Naruto, the best ninja in this village!" He cheered and popped a balloon on accident with his jump.

Chouji smiled and munched on a chip. "Basically… you're no longer alone…"

Naruto looked at them all and looked to Tsuki who looked relieved. "Guys… thanks again, for not despising me like the others…" He smiled as they all crowded around him and music played loudly behind him.

Everyone was awed at the new outfit he was wearing, which was the one with the button up shirt. Sakura and the girls were blushing as they commented on how handsome and sexy he was looking, even Hinata made a bold statement. There was chaos though when Tenten tried to see how many weapons she could store within his pants.

The guys joked on him and were doing some of their own gossip with Naruto for a while. Sasuke just watched from his corner, looking confused. See, when he took note of the outfit, he could've sworn he was looking at Susumu's body shape and not Naruto's body shape.

Naruto could feel that intense gaze upon him and sent him a glare. "What're you staring at teme?!" He shouted, sticking out his tongue and insulting Sasuke.

Sasuke blinked and looked away, cheeks slightly tinged pink.

Temari and Kankuro showed up a bit later to the party, looking flustered since Gaara had just left them to deal with things such as customs and enjoy the festival.

Chouji stepped forward, still munching on some food. "Alright people. Time for presents and then my favorite part… cake!!"

Naruto took a seat on the three-seat couch, right between Tsuki and Sasuke. Across from him on the four-seat couch was Sakura, Lee, Hinata and Kiba. On the end by Tsuki was Shino and went toward Neji and Gaara, forming a bend of chairs back to the four-seat couch. Next to Sasuke sat Shikamaru, Tenten, then Ino and Chouji. Left standing were Temari and Kankuro, who were unexpected arrivals.

"Whose should I open first?" Naruto queried, looking at the big pile. There were more gifts then he could've ever imagined sitting on that table and it made him feel warm inside.

Tsuki smiled. "I already gave you my own gifts earlier today…"

Naruto nodded and blinked at the stares the others were giving him. "Opps, I forgot to introduce you to them." He blushed.

"I noticed… I think you should do it now though… ok?" He nodded.

"Guys, this is Tsuki. She is the daughter of a noble, and is like a sister to me. If it wasn't for her and her family I might not be what I am today…"

Tsuki nodded as she heard the gasps come from most of them. "Don't let my status change anything here today. In fact… Tsunade herself had no idea who I was for awhile so don't feel obliged to do anything for me ok."

"Nice to meet you then!" Cheered Kiba with a smile and the others nodded, showing her they understood and were still stunned.

"Back to the gifts!!" Tsuki cheered and picked up a random one. It was from Tenten and was wrapped in plain parch paper. It was long and light, but felt sturdy within Naruto's grasp.

Curious and knowing full well what it might be, he opened the gift and his eyes widened at the sight of the katana. The sheath was beautifully designed with elegant swirls of smoke and another image of the phoenix.

"Its beautiful Tenten…" He murmured. She giggled from where she was next to Shikamaru, who blushed as he moved his arm from behind her.

"Thank you. Take a look at the blade as well…" He slid the sword free and was shocked to see the blade was a beautiful shade of blue and was engraved with a saying of power.

"I will treasure this weapon…" He told her and slid the dangerous weapon back into its home. Tsuki then picked up another gift randomly it was just a little bag with two round bottles within them. She read the tag and revealed it came from Shino.

Naruto took this gift and pulled out two vials. One was filled with multiple chakara bugs and the second one only held one chakara bug. He eyed them carefully and fought back a shiver.

Shino rustled from where he sat next to Tsuki. "I have given you a female bug and that other vial. These bugs are trained by me to locate me when released whenever you are in need of assistance. The female must stay with you if you wish to use them however…" He was silent then and Naruto nodded, placing to vials back into the bag and setting it down next to his feet, being careful with it.

This time he grabbed the next gift, reading the tag himself to see it came from Chouji. Before he opened it Chouji stopped him. "Hey. I need to see the bag really quick." Naruto handed it to him and watched as Chouji pulled out a bunch of cases.

"Alright. These are special pills my own family makes that stimulate various fighting aspects." He then proceeded to explain each type of pill within the bag and the side effects of using each one.

Naruto nodded and grinned. "Thank you Chouji. It was very thoughtful of you." Chouji shrugged. "It was nothing really. Thank my mom, she makes them."

Shikamaru leaned over in his chair and threw a gift towards him. "Here, from me of course… put it to good use."

Naruto eyed him suspiciously as he opened it and revealed a scroll on strategies for the dumb. He growled and threw it back at Shikamaru. "I don't need this mind you. I know very useful strategies."

"Then why the idiocy when we do missions." Shikamaru asked him.

"Well… you see… people expected me to be a fool and to just prevent any trouble, I acted as a fool intentionally. I really know how to use doppelgangers and various other fighting techniques… just like I don't like ramen a whole lot and can cook really great meals when I get my hands on fresh veggies and other foods."

"Keep the scroll anyway." Shikamaru said with a smile and peeled back a thin layer of paper, revealing it to be an advanced version. "It holds things even I haven't thought up yet. I highly recommend this scroll."

Naruto laughed and took the scroll. "Alright, I'll take it then and see if there is good thing in here."

Ino grinned evilly as she snatched up her gift. She was waiting for him to be distracted long enough for her to open it up. "My turn!" She cheered and then threw a huge stack of thin slips of paper at him. Every laughed as Ichiraku Ramen meal tickets floated through the air and settled all over the room.

"I bought you a years worth of this stuff. I hope, even though I just heard what you said before, that you would find them to be just as good." She smiled and then started to pick them up along with the others.

"Thanks, but why did you throw them at me?" He asked picking up some of them as well.

"Don't know really. I've just been wanting to do something like that I guess." She laughed and sat back down.

There was a lull of laughter as they gathered and counted all of the tickets, teasing Ino for having bought so many now when he had stated he didn't love it to death.

They stuffed the papers into a bag and set it back on the table. Then a loud crack resounded throughout the room and formed on the table. The crack came from some terribly wrapped item and before the table snapped, Lee picked it up.

"Opps, forgot just how heavy these things are." He blushed as he showed Naruto his gift. "These are the same kind of weights Gai-sensei has me wear. You can gain great strength and speed with these on while you train and you may be as fast as I am one day." He smiled and did the usual nice guy pose and set the weights on the ground.

Naruto thanked him and eyed the gift, expecting it to crack the floor now since it cracked a hardwood table. Then a box with holes started to shake and caught his attention. He picked it up carefully and looked to Kiba.

"Did you stuff Akamaru in here on accident?" He asked, moving his head in time to dodge a flying white fur-ball that leaped out from Kiba's jacket.

A vein popped out in Kiba's head as he tried to keep from retaliating against him. "No, just open the damn box loser." His eye twitched as Naruto flipped him off and smiled.

He opened the box and found himself rewarded with a growling and yipping kit. Akamaru jumped down and barked at it and the two seemed to be conversing a bit. The kit nodded and climbed up Naruto's arm and settled around his neck.

"Umm… Kiba?" He quested as the kit's fur ruffled when Tsuki tried to pet it and almost attacked her. "What the hell is this?"

Kiba smiled. "My sister's idea. Sure we are great at breeding nin-dogs, but she wanted to breed other fighting animals to sell to other ninja. This here fox is the first ever nin-fox she has bred. This fox we also hope will mate and provide other nin-foxes for us, but I want you to have her and teach her skills that'll be unique to the nin-foxes."

Naruto glared at him. "So you want me to be the test run really? See if this is such a good idea…"

The kit nodded and nuzzled Naruto's cheek and looked at him with amber eyes. She was adorable right then and he sighed. "Fine, I'll keep her and train her. First I need to know what she goes by…"

Akamaru barked and Kiba nodded. "Akamaru had asked her that just before. Her name is Murasaki."

The kit nodded and curled back up around his neck, watching Sasuke carefully and grinning. Sasuke looked away, feeling bored and itching to get ready for the second night of the festival.

Naruto picked up another gift and opened it, it was from Hinata this time and it was a simple medic kit. He opened the box to see all sorts of medicine and antidotes and bandages. He also saw the homemade ones that he knew were really useful since he used one of the objects before.

"That's so you can repair your injuries while on missions or the injuries of your comrades." She got out quickly blushing as Naruto smiled. He carefully got up, still aware of the kit on his neck and leaned over the table and planted a butterfly kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you Hinata… here's a gift to you as well." He smiled softly and sat back down.

She looked at him, blushing deeper than before, Kiba was bitching at Naruto, demanding to know why he did that. However that soft kiss conveyed an important message to her. She smiled and nodded in his direction, her heart heavy, but she was happy that he knew about her feelings.

Murasaki yipped and leaped out at Kiba, biting down on his nose and flipping backwards off his face and landing perfectly atop of Gaara's lap. She looked up at the pale blue eyes, ears lowered as she whined her apology and hopped onto the floor and back to Naruto.

Gaara stood, Temari and Kankuro were behind him. "To you Naruto, I give full protection while in the Sand's country. I wish I could give more, but I was not able to do so at this point in time."

Temari and Kankuro smiled. "We give the same as Gaara and thank you for all of your past help when we needed it the most."

Neji stood up after they sat down, giving Naruto no time to speak or continue any fights. "I would like to apologize to you for my inattention, despite the power of these eyes of mine. I will also like to let you know that Hiyashi has provided you a place among the Hyuuga with no strings attached." He then pointed out a package that contained scrolls on various genjutsu techniques.

Naruto nodded, touched by such simple gifts given to him. Considering an apology from Neji was rare and few. Sakura stood and grabbed her gift off the table and walked around towards him. She leaned down and kissed his cheek and dumped a lumpy gift into his lap.

He blushed and stammered slightly as he opened the gift and revealed another new outfit. Sakura had picked him out a lose fitting fishnet tank-top, just so he could move easily in it. She had also picked out dark navy blue shorts trimmed with black with plenty of pockets. There were also plenty of accessories as well, various necklaces and wristbands. She had also bought various other shirts for him and various types of fishnet.

"Are you trying to make a statement here…" He sweat dropped as he felt she was trying to convey a message to him about his wardrobe.

"Maybe…" She teased. "Its nice seeing you in something other than that orange thing you wear."

He sighed. "It is nice to wear something other than that damn thing…" He mumbled and smiled. "Thank you Sakura."

She just smiled and sat back down. There was still one gift on the table. One large gift and everyone knew who had brought it. They were all curious as well. Naruto looked to Sasuke as he grabbed the gift and looked at the tag. He inspected the entire box before he opened it up.

Inside was a wide array of items. He pulled out a set of soubou needles, a new set of shuriken that had jagged edges to dig into the enemy's flesh. There were more useful little weapons, but what shocked him the most was what was underneath this layer of stuff.

Murasaki herself clambered down from Naruto's shoulders and looked shocked at the items within. He pulled out a frame with a picture inside. He looked at it and gasped in shock when he found it was a picture of Yondaime dressed in his robes. There was a woman beside him smiling softly, which was his mother. He thought all the pictures were gone, but it seems he was wrong.

He pulled out another item; it was something else that seemed breakable beyond comparison. It was a colored glass decoration of a fierce orca with divine markings and across from the decorative piece was the image of a divine wolf howling to the heavens along with the whale. It looked expensive.

"Sasuke… where did you get these from?" He asked eyes still glued to the large decorative piece.

"An old woman at the antique store, she claimed to have known him when she was younger." He replied. "She practically handed them to me…"

Naruto just smiled and looked through the other pictures he saw of parents he would never know. Murasaki could pick up his masters overwhelming joy and expressed it towards Sasuke, rubbing along his leg and licking an exposed toe.

Sasuke shivered at the cool moisture of the fox's tongue on his toes. He silently watched as the tears pooled in Naruto's eyes as he gazed at the picture. He imagined having never known his parent's and not really having any one to rely upon for support and to open up to. He came to the conclusion that it must have been hard on Naruto to live such a life, but he believed it was not a fate as worse as his own. The way he saw it, Naruto was better off not having really known the love of a family before they were ripped away from them.

Sasuke thought about it further though, the long lasting effects of such a life. If he weren't so damned turned off by women, he would form a family of his own one-day and have some idea on how to express his love for his family and other things. His brow furrowed. If Naruto were to eventually get a family, he probably wouldn't be as able to function in his role as smoothly, but with his large heart things would still work out for the dobe.

"Food time!" Cheered the warm voice of Chouji's mother as she brought in the food Hinata and the others cooked.

At once Naruto's bout of mixed emotions disappeared and he jumped around like the rest of the group, eager to see what was being offered.

Sasuke shook his head and headed towards the throng as well, feeling a bit of hunger himself. He looked down at the nin-fox still at his heels. He offered her his shoulder and she quickly clambered into place, ready to hop onto her master's shoulder.

TBC…

33


	2. Chapter 2

Painted Masks Pt

**Painted Masks **

**(Part Two)**

**A/N: **_Well now… wasn't expecting this… and it may be extremely cheesy and dumb beyond all belief. All in all I feel like I didn't give this justice yet so I think I will make a third part for the story… depends on what you want. Feel free to send angry letters! Also check out my forum I created please! It's on my profile and I hope you guys wouldn't mind talking together about my stories… Oh! One last thing… BEWARE! This chapter has delicious action in it… don't like man on man action… just don't read this._

The party passed in great joking and fun. Hinata had found herself on the receiving end of a kiss from Kiba. Tsuki had snuck off somewhere with Shino, Sakura, Lee, Ino, and Chouji had a little war amongst themselves. Gaara and his siblings managed to have a food fight against Tenten and Shikamaru. Naruto caused his own chaos with the majority of all of the groups, mainly providing aid to the losing side in the food fight.

Sasuke just watched, eating some of the cake that few actually managed to get. He was silent and would occasionally glance at his watch, keeping track of the time.

"Needing to go somewhere?" Naruto asked, cake pieces encrusted into his hair and his shirt splattered with ice cream and more cake. Naruto was glad that none of it would ruin his new clothing; however he was careful to not rub it into the fabric even more.

Sasuke just peered at him from the corner of his eye. "Hn…" He gave a shrug in the usual manner, which Naruto at this point was able to translate such moves.

"Ah… I see. The festival I assume?" He hid his mounting joy, yet still put on a solemn face of one who isn't allowed to go.

Again Sasuke only looked at him and shrugged. The expert of reading Sasuke got the hint and he inwardly cheered. To him it was getting his mask back and seeing more of Sasuke's true side.

The ruckus behind them grew louder, however they both ignored it, dodging the few launched pieces of food heading their way. They grew silent and Naruto looked at his feet, thinking about his gift from Sasuke.

He opened his mouth, wanting to thank him again a little more in depth than before. A shout caused his eyes to widen and Sasuke looked straight at him. Kiba had fallen into Naruto, bumping him forward and knocking him into Sasuke.

Sasuke's reflexes kicked in, preventing the same accident from back in their academy days, but wound up with his face in the crook of Naruto's neck. He got a short whiff of what he recognized as Susumu's smell, before they tumbled to the floor with him ontop.

"Itai…" Naruto mumbled, his head throbbing slightly from the impact with the floor. Sasuke had moved first and looked down on Naruto, his brow furrowed again in confusion at the similarities he could pick out between the two.

Naruto shoved him off first, rubbing the bump on his head. Kiba was off to his side apologizing for running into him. Sakura had run over at this point with an ice pack and handed it over to him.

By now the rest of the group had caught the track of time again and started to clean up so they could go back to the festival. Naruto sat on the couch, Murasaki in his lap and one hand holding up the ice pack. Sasuke sat next to him, his eyes glaring at him as he kept trying to figure out why Naruto seemed to smell like Susumu.

Finally, the raven-haired ninja spoke up, "Naruto… do you know anyone by the name of Susumu?"

Naruto sputtered in shock and let the ice pack fall onto the floor behind him. "Say who?" Sasuke repeated himself again and Naruto thought up a quick response. "Oh, Susumu? Yeah I ran into someone by that name today. Why?"

Sasuke nodded. "I see… nothing really." He got up and left for home, leaving Naruto sitting on the couch in worry. Did he slip up somehow and now Sasuke knew that HE is Susumu, or something else.

Everyone had left the cozy Akimichi home to his or her own homes. Naruto was the last to leave, dashing quickly to his apartment, wanting to change quickly and head back to the tree where 'Susumu' had first met Sasuke.

He pulled out some other clothes bought before his shopping trip with Tsuki. They consisted of the same dark colors again and looked almost the same, except he went without a jacket for tonight.

He looked in the mirror and repeated the same hairstyle as before and changed his physical appearance as well. He sighed, taking in the appearance of Susumu. He had spare time now and his mind was free to wander and think about what he is doing.

The blonde questioned about going through with this. It nagged at him and made him feel guilty for lying to Sasuke. It was worse when he thought about the attraction of last night. He knew he shouldn't feel that way towards a guy according to some villagers; however this village was a little more opened minded so sexuality was never really a problem here. What bothered him was the fact that he was dragging Sasuke with him on this road of experience and possibly ruining the revival of the Uchiha clan.

The thoughts spun around in his mind in a never-ending circle. Finally it settled into one conclusion. He had to reveal it to Sasuke tonight before they both did something they would regret for the rest of their lives.

With that thought in mind he dashed out of the apartment and raced towards the festival grounds towards the tree in which 'Susumu' was created.

Sasuke sighed, looking at the mask he carried in his hands, hoping beyond all hope that Susumu would be there. What Naruto told him earlier made him believe that Susumu should still be in the village and hopefully would be waiting for him. He touched the polished mask, running his fingers over the intricate detail.

He could see the tree off in the distance, growing nervous as he slipped the mask into his pocket. He shifted the simpler shirt of plain blue and white with the small embroidery of the clan symbol over by his heart. (Like a Polo shirt) A cool breeze made him shiver slightly, but he quickly ceased to feel the dropping temperature as he was trained.

His eyes focused on the empty tree and crowded streets, looking for Susumu's form. His mind wandered to last night, blushing softly and faintly at the events that took place. The familiarity of him put him at ease and allowed him to relax his guard and be himself. He didn't have to worry about his brother around him; the pain he normally felt would disappear.

He sighed again, something he noted he was doing more often. Susumu was a guy however and couldn't help him reproduce the future clan for Konoha. Then again… he kind of didn't want to deal with running the clan itself, teaching the rules he barely knew of the Uchihas, the dangers of Sharingan overuse and many other secrets. He almost reached the decision to not recreate the clan and tell his brother to go fuck himself.

A small sound of rustling leaves snapped him into attention as Susumu leapt down from the branches, face pulled into that familiar grin. He caught the smell of brown sugar and cinnamon waft through the air as Susumu moved.

"Ah… good thing you came tonight after all. I seem to have misplaced my precious mask…" Naruto spoke, relaxing when Sasuke pulled out his mask.

"Here." Sasuke muttered and handed it to him.

'Susumu' gladly accepted the mask and put it on, tying the ribbon in the back. "So… I have…" He was going to continue however a shout interupted him. Naruto cursed as familiar pink hair came running up with Tsuki and Shino.

"Sasuke! I thought you were staying home today?" She quested, panting slightly as she skidded to a stop next to them, Tsuki and Shino casually walking up next to her.

"Hn…" Came the boy's favorite monosyllabic reply as he did his best to ignore her. Naruto gritted his teeth in anger at her, wishing he could've told Sasuke the truth and return home to Murasaki and mope about.

"Well… oh sorry about this. I'm Sakura and this is Shino and Tsuki." She introduced herself to 'Susumu' finally, even though he knew who she was. Tsuki and Shino were whispering amongst themselves and seemed to know, he could tell from that damn look Tsuki gave him.

"Susumu and it is no problem really…" He slipped into the role with ease and shook her hand in greeting.

"Nice to meet you. I was getting ready to ask Sasuke if he would like to come to the acrobatic show, you can come with us as well." Sakura smiled, beaming in excitement, probably hoping Naruto would accept.

'A little more fun won't hurt… I guess…' Naruto thought to himself as he nodded in agreement.

**xXx**

The show was dazzling. To the mainly ninja audience, the skill the performers possessed were appreciated and sparked new fighting techniques. The regulars still showed respect and awe for the amount of training the performers must have committed themselves to in order to put on such a show for them.

Their small group had met up with the others, Lee at once paired up with Sakura as they sat down and Tsuki would constantly peek over at where Sasuke and 'Susumu' sat. They all enjoyed the show and the newer couples decided to separate off from the group as they left the stadium.

So, eventually Naruto found himself alone once more with Sasuke, his mask off and the genjuutsu mask in place. Their mood was light as Sasuke was more open and friendly than yesterday. Also he seemed a little closer to him than before, Naruto was aware of the occasional touches from his teammate.

His heart twisted in fear as he thought about what he needed to do before something terrible happened. He hung his head slightly as he recalled what had to be said. Sasuke hadn't noticed yet and proceeded to drag him over to an okonomiyaki stand and ordered some food.

"I heard this stand has the best…" Sasuke chattered, but stopped when he saw the worried face of his companion. "Is everything alright?"

Naruto jolted a bit. "Yeah… listen. Can we talk somewhere a little more private?"

Sasuke nodded, afraid of what might be said. He didn't want to hear any words of rejection, didn't want to hear a farewell. He had peace in his life for once and didn't want it to end just after one full day.

Naruto noticed Sasuke's own worry as he lead them away from the crowd and towards the base of Hokage Mountain. It was almost deserted due to the festival and was easily hiding them from view in case some ninja or other villagers happened to walk on by them.

An air of nervousness covered the both of them, making them both feel awkward and only increasing their fears. Naruto turned to face Sasuke and moved in closer towards him, forcing the raven to look at him closely.

Sasuke's body reacted strongly to the sudden closeness as his blood rushed south with the gentle touch of a hand holding his chin. His head swam as that scent enveloped him with desire for this person before him and the comfort it brought to his soul soothed him.

Without a doubt, Sasuke was accepting this person to be so close to him and no other person. That gentle hand caressed his cheek, sending shivers down his spine, and it moved towards the back of his head.

Naruto couldn't resist the power he seemed to now hold over Sasuke, plus he craved one last kiss with his teammate before he broke off the biggest mistake he had ever made. Their lips touched gently, a light caress full of the heat they awoke in one another and the needs of their bodies being held back.

They held the gentle kiss for what felt like eternity to them both before Naruto finally pulled back, panting slightly as his heart raced in excitement. Sasuke's cheeks flushed with those same feelings as those slender hands gripped Naruto's arms for balance.

"Susumu…" He muttered, trying to find words that needed to be said, but Naruto was faster.

"Wait. There is something I need to say to you, something before anything else can take place between us." Naruto steeled himself and put some distance between them. "I realize now that I really have feelings for you, feelings that I have no name to call them by. These are emotions I have never experienced before in my entire life and have only felt them when I am with you."

Naruto paused, willing his heart and mind to keep going as Sasuke processed what he had said so far. "However, I can't continue being with you. I am not the person you believe I am." He turned his head to the side as he pulled out the mask with care.

"What do you mean? So far you have given me no doubt or suspicions… I feel comfortable around you. I feel safe and at peace, something I have not felt for many years. I can finally feel love after all those years of pain and rage." Sasuke spouted back, his control crumbling. He had finally found something stable within Susumu and without realizing it, he quickly found a person to support him even if it was only in the span of a handful of hours.

Naruto placed the mask within Sasuke's hands. "Sasuke, this is my most treasured item from parents I never knew. You may do what you wish with this item." He noticed the pooling tears in Sasuke's eyes and felt it in his own, but pushed on. "I am still not Susumu. In fact, you know me very well…"

Sasuke looked confused as Naruto formed the hand seals for release and uttered a soft word. That look of confusion quickly changed to shock as the face of Susumu disappeared and became that of Naruto's face. Those glittering blue eyes swam with the inner turmoil the blonde felt, a turmoil that Sasuke felt as well.

However, that shocked look quickly turned into something else and Naruto bolted before any word could be spoken, before any movement could be made. He left Sasuke there, alone and upset, leaving behind his mask with that delicious scent and tears behind him.

**xXx**

His heart was breaking, but it had to be done, he had no choice but to eliminate the existence of Susumu before Sasuke's very eyes. The tears fell freely down his face as he headed home, along the way he realized that he had always loved Sasuke from the beginning but was never aware of it until that gentle kiss and the attraction the other night.

He stormed into his house, sobbing loudly within his domain. At once Murasaki ran over to his side, whimpering softly as she licked at his salty tears. He hugged her close to his chest and buried his face within her fur, finding comfort in her loyalty and understanding.

"I screwed up… I screwed up… I never thought that would happen…" He sniffled, but continued to cry into the small nin-fox. Hours passed, but the pain in his heart never eased despite all the tears he shed.

Eventually he got himself under control and released Murasaki from his hold and headed towards his bed. She followed him and curled up beside him as he cuddled the stuffed animals Tsuki had made for him, the tears flaring up once more as he eventually cried himself to sleep.

Murasaki watched him and licked his face clean of the salty trails and groomed herself. She nuzzled his face in affection and worry and the sound of knocking alerted her to the existence of someone at the door, before the sounds could wake her master she charged the door and slipped through the small flap Naruto created for her.

The small nin-fox looked up at the shaken form of Sasuke; her instincts alerted her to the fact that this man caused her master his current pain. She growled at him and nipped his feet, forcing Sasuke to look down.

Sasuke himself looked a little teary as he kneeled down next to her. "Asleep I see?" he muttered faintly as he held out his hand. The small creature felt his own pain and nuzzled the offered hand, linking together that the two were meant for each other. "I wanted to talk to him… I guess I have to wait until he wakes up. Keep an eye on him for me Murasaki. I'll come back later…"

With that, Sasuke left the young fox behind as she slipped back indoors and he headed off towards his home and a hopeful tomorrow. However, he slipped a tiny square of paper under the door addressed to Naruto.

_Naruto._

_We need to talk… _

_Meet me on top of Hokage Mountain at 8p.m. tomorrow._

_ Sasuke_

Murasaki saw the paper trail in behind her and sat next to it. However, this wasn't an ideal area for the note to remain. She placed a paw on the note and pushed the note towards that paw with her free one. She appeared pleased as the paper folded up and allowed her to pick the paper up in her mouth.

Now, she just needed to figure out where to place the note for her master to locate it. There were many places, but Naruto was never consistent enough to head towards those spots. She huffed and sat down in the middle of the floor. Then an idea struck her.

She quickly headed off into her master's room and prepared for him to wake up.

xXx

Sasuke sighed. Something he noticed was becoming quite frequent. He still couldn't believe that Susumu was actually Naruto. NARUTO!! The seemingly mentally challenged teammate of his, the teammate he put through hell and put him through hell. Now he learns that said teammate has feelings for him? How does that work? Is life really that twisted?!

He rubbed his forehead, feeling a huge headache coming on. When he ran off Sasuke didn't know what to do, in fact it forced him to think about things. After finally reaching a decision he chased after the emotionally fragile blonde.

It did explain that familiar comfort he felt with Susumu. The personality quirks, small normal habits he picked up. What made it seem real was the way they held themselves. He recalled that that was what attracted him the most. Susumu, Naruto, they held themselves high, but seemed to shoulder a great burden. They had this courage and pride with a touch of laughter and humility. Much like an honest and innocent man would after many hardships.

The night breeze was growing colder, forcing Sasuke to wrap his arms around his chest to block most of the chill. The stars were bright and demanded some attention despite the clamor continuing with the festival's activities.

Seeing the truth within Naruto's revelation, Sasuke gazed back into how he felt for his teammate. All of their trials and tribulations. Those rare moments of laughter and comfort they shared with each other. The battles they fought together or against each other.

As his mind shifted through all those events he noted the changes between them. He had a respect for Naruto he would never have for anyone else. A closeness that could never be shared, a trust he had with no one else. The distance between them, no matter how vast in size physically, was in fact very small mentally for the both of them.

He pondered the time of his disappearance from the village. He wanted to forget most of what happened back then, but what he didn't forget was how often he found himself thinking of the blonde.

It all came together then. He did love Naruto, wanted to be with Naruto and no other person in the whole world. His mind and body had instinctively known Susumu was Naruto in disguise. It explained everything.

Now all he could do was wait for the person he fell for to give him a chance first, before giving up on him. His resolve formed for the next day, he decided to head on home and finishes his plan.

The sun shined brightly through the closed blinds in Naruto's room, waking Murasaki first to the new day. She looked at the face of her sleeping master, her heart reaching out to him as he looked relaxed in this state. However, she had to wake her master and deliver the note.

She yipped a few times, receiving a small glimmer of life as Naruto groaned, growled, and rolled over to escape the ninfox. She wasn't going to give up that easily however and jumped to the next tactic.

Murasaki tightened up her hind legs and crouched low on the bed, her eyes glinting in mischief. She sprung up into the air and flew down with forepaws stretched out into her master's cheek.

The peaceful morning air was destroyed with a sudden loud outburst of pain and a chuckling fox. Naruto was now awake to the world, but now she had to give him the note. She yipped again and jumped back over her master's body to the crumpled piece of paper and handed it to him.

"Huh? What's this? A note?" He rubbed his eyes sleepily; they felt horrible after last night's crying fest. "Did you really have to wake me up this early for a note…?" He trailed off as he realized said note came from Sasuke.

He read the note and felt his empty stomach squirm. There was no good or bad tone to the note and it made the blonde worry. He looked to his new companion as he set the note aside. "Do you think I should go there? Should I face him…" His eyes began to tear up once more, but he fought them.

The little ninfox licked his cheek in understanding. She then nodded her head and yipped. Naruto got the message and nodded. "Alright, I promise to meet up with him… this is a problem that can't be ignored… much to my dismay…"

He got out of the bed and decided to take a shower and brush his teeth. When he was finished and dressed in an outfit from Tsuki he looked at the time. It was still early morning, but steadily approaching noon as the clock read ten.

"I might go mad before I meet him tonight Murasaki. The time will not pass by with peaceful ease like any other day… today will be agonizingly long." He sighed and started to cook himself brunch since it was getting to close to lunch to focus on either side.

Instead of some weak meal he decided to go all out and create a more fancy meal to eat. He fed Murasaki as well and ate the meal, eventually forcing it down his throat because his stomach felt squeamish again from the thought of facing Sasuke.

When he finished he was glad to see that it was finally done, having taken time doing his dishes. Murasaki kept him comforted with her presence as he headed to the couch to relax before heading out. She curled up in his lap and purred much like a cat as he stroked her fur.

He sighed and looked at her in the face. "Alrighty you. What shall we do to pass the time?" He didn't get a response and sighed. "Ok. I'll decide then." This time she yipped in agreement. "Let's go to the training grounds then… we need to get you some more ninja skills…" She nodded happily in reply.

She scrambled into position around his neck, draping her forepaws down low and loose. She fought to keep her tail still and not tickle the sensitive spots on her master's neck. Naruto chuckled as he gathered some items into a bag for the training session.

"Hey… I think we should pack some snacks…" He received a short yip of approval from his new companion as she licked his cheek. He chuckled and tugged lightly on her ear and nuzzled her. "Yeah… it is a good idea huh…?"

Running a hand through his hair and hefting the bag onto his shoulder he glanced back inside the apartment, making sure the fish were fed and any messes were picked up off the floor. He fumbled in his pocket for the keys as he headed out the door and locked it behind him.

Murasaki growled in contentment as a soft cool breeze pushed lightly against them, a perfect time to train and stay cool. Sapphire eyes blinked roughly as they exited the shade of the walkway, heading into the bright light. Deep down he felt like it mocked him as it brought joy and happiness to everyone today, making it all shine brighter in people's eyes. For him, it hurt and made him slightly angry that it wasn't stormy out or about to rain matching his hidden somber mood.

He breathed in deeply, ignoring Murasaki's soft whimper of concern and exhaled. He laughed loudly and shook out his depression and fears, emptying himself for the sake of Murasaki's training. He ignored the sharp claws digging into his shoulders as the forgotten fox held on for dear life as Naruto sped off to their destination.

They paused outside the small area, watching curiously as two members inside trained. Murasaki studied the moves of one of them, following the gleam of massive white fur. Naruto studied the smooth and bestial moves of the other, catching the glimpses of red triangular marks on the cheeks.

Kiba and Akamaru had beaten them there already it seemed, destroying his hope of training with Murasaki alone. He tilted his head slightly as his little companion looked up at him, golden eyes glaring into his own, conveying a simple message with no sound.

"I guess we could… if we want some pointers from dog breath-!!" He cut himself off, flipping backwards to avoid a clawed hand rushing towards his face and the massive white body trying to slam into his side.

Murasaki fell off, flipping into the air and twisting herself and aimed for Akamaru's head and latched onto his ear with sharp teeth. She seemed to growl in pleasure at the sound of pain the oversized mutt made as she then kicked off his face and into her master's arms.

"HEY! Watch what you're doing you dog lover!" The blonde shouted in anger as he checked over Murasaki's body, making sure she was unharmed during her short attack upon Akamaru.

Kiba snorted and leapt onto Akamaru's back as they moved closer to him, a low growl faintly emanating in the air around them. "Idiot! What were you thinking to gain you spy! Damn foxes and their cheating…" He smiled as he eyed Naruto carefully, watching the fur on Murasaki stand up and could have sworn the same was for Naruto if he had fur.

However, Naruto really wasn't in the mood for this and calmly straightened himself back up and squatted as he smiled at Akamaru, holding out a dog treat in one hand. "About time… I was standing there for a good ten minutes before you seemed to sense us…"

Akamaru eyed the food, silently wondering if the blonde had drugged it in some manner or even if it was still edible. He shrugged his shoulders, forcing Kiba to balance himself out as he walked forward and gently took the offered treat.

"Hey! Don't go taking handouts! I trained you better than that!" Kiba shouted, grinning his thanks to Naruto and slapping Akamaru on the back as his companion ignored him and ate the treat anyway.

Murasaki watched this with minimal interest and was instead eyeing the training field, wanting to learn some skills she had seen those two practice. She huffed and hoped Naruto would be competent enough to train her properly and have good team work skills, even though Akamaru had told her otherwise before she met her new master.

"So… you came to train with her eh?"Kiba chuckled as he watched the small nin-fox pout from within Naruto's arms.

Blue eyes looked back down at her and one hand smoothed a patch of fur. "Yeah… I was thinking up some moves we could do… since it seems she has some skills already…" He pointed to the faded imprint on one cheek where she had slammed into his face this morning.

Kiba whistled in slight amazement. "Wow… we had started to train her back home, but didn't know she had that much strength already… it felt odd training something a small as her…" He muttered picking her up by the scruff of her neck, ignoring her snarl and furious kicks as she tried to break free.

Naruto nervously watched him, desperately wanting her back within his arms. "What are you doing?! Give her back!" He glared at the Inuzuka, slipping out a kunai if he had to force him to return her.

"Chill Naruto… chill…" He handed her back over and placed a hand on Akamaru's head. "I was just seeing if you two had formed a bond first. Which it seemed you guys have…"

Naruto blinked. "A bond?" He looked confused

Kiba chuckled. "Yes a bond. This is important for training together and working together with a nin-animal. If there is no bond then there is no trust and love between you. This can result in mistakes on the battle field…"

Akamaru nodded his head, barking in agreement. Kiba knelt down and rubbed his cheek against the smooth fur of his companion. Naruto contemplated what was said and looked down at Murasaki and it seemed to click in his mind.

Kiba looked up, just in time to catch the two enjoy a silent moment of understanding. "Yes… I see you two are just peachy in the bond department. What needs to really be worked on next is communication."

Kiba got off of Akamaru's back and squatted on the ground. He motioned for Naruto to follow suit as their companions sat next to them. "I can understand Akamaru as if he were speaking human tongue at me. This came through after many years of training together and trying to understand each other." Akamaru nodded and was level with Murasaki's face, seemingly having his own speech with her.

Naruto eyed the two carefully. "Well… I do understand her somewhat already…" He looked down at her again and avoided the shocked gaze of Kiba.

"Really…?" Kiba muttered and turned to have a quick side conversation with Akamaru. The two seemed to reach an agreement and then shifted to have a few words with Murasaki.

All three of them seemed to grin in a devilish manner at Naruto. "What…?" He asked, suddenly nervous about what they were thinking. He only caught some things from Murasaki, but had no idea what the other two had said.

He processed what could have been said an glared. "Hey! No planning sneak attacks! And don't tell them what my wardrobe looks like!" He blushed as they had shared a few more words amongst each other.

Kiba blinked in surprise and looked at Murasaki. The small fox just ignored him, radiating off an aura of pride at the natural skills of her master. "I'm jealous man… it took me two weeks to just understand most of what Akamaru said to me…"

Naruto's chest swelled at the sudden ability he had to gloat at this exact moment, but he stopped himself. "Well… I think it's because I do have some unwanted help…" He muttered, knowing Kiba would understand, but still finding to openly talk about the Kyuubi was hard.

Kiba seemed to muse over the thought, picking at it and seemed to agree. "You do have that help… it just makes it easier for you guys to begin combat training then…" He smirked. "Now… here is where my help is no longer applicable except every now and again."

Naruto blinked again, confused with the thought that Kiba wouldn't be able to help them out often. "Why is that?" He asked, watching Akamaru and Murasaki play around while they continued talking.

"Well… it is a species thing."

"Species thing?"

Kiba sighed and rubbed his temples. "Dogs are different from foxes. They may have the same weapons, however they really have different instincts when it comes to fighting." He waited to see Naruto puzzle through the information. "Dogs are more aggressive and rely on more brute strength and numbers. Much like how wolves work in a pack kind of way."

Naruto nodded again. "I see…" he murmured, placing a finger on his chin.

Kiba smiled, deciding to continue. "A fox is smaller and slimmer than a dog is, which reflects a different lifestyle in order to ensure survival. Foxes are none to really be loners and don't generally stay in a group. That doesn't mean there aren't some that do live together. Being smaller and more slender than dogs, foxes rely on more stealth and cunning to hunt and eat."

"Ah…" Naruto nodded. "So I would have to make more attacks suited for Murasaki to execute rather than learning some of you two's techniques…"

Kiba nodded. "You got it. But that doesn't mean I can't teach you two some skills. The two species do overlap in some areas of skill. Where the two overlap is where I can teach you certain skills."

Naruto smiled. "So where should we start first in our training?" he asked, curious to see if Kiba would train them in some moves right now.

"Well… How about Dynamic Marking? We would have to train your sense of smell and hers. This will be a tracking skill the two of you can use."

Naruto grimaced. "Isn't that the peeing thing you guys use…?" He shuddered.

"Yes. It is a useful skill so that doesn't mean you can turn your nose up to it yet. First I want to see how strong your sense of smell is…" Kiba stood up and seemed to think and sniff at the air for a moment.

Naruto pouted slightly, wrapping his arms around himself in slight annoyance. He came here to train really, not go through with this. He watched as Kiba seemed to locate a certain smell and was tempted to ignore him when he did find one he favored.

Kiba smiled and looked back at Naruto. "Now with this skill you have the natural talents at sensing with your partner, you need to learn to pull out distinct scents around you and become familiar with certain ones. Now I have located the scent of a stand of apples. It is a light scent that can easily be overrun by the other scents in the area, however with a trained nose you should be able to locate the apples blindfolded."

"Eh?!" Naruto yelped as he suddenly found himself blind to the world. "Apples…?" He whined as Kiba chuckled behind him.

"Yes apples… When I tell you I want you to start sniffing out that apple stand…" Kiba paused, watching Naruto fidget nervously, knowing the boy was not to keen on this idea of training.

"Go!" He shouted and gave the blonde a push in the opposite direction of the apples. He quickly scooped up the nin-fox in case she decided to help her master.

Naruto grumbled as he wobbled down the street, sniffing around carefully. He did already have a well trained nose, however he wasn't used to eating apples and being around them enough to know what they smelled like. He could feel Kyuubi chuckle somewhere within him at his current lame situation.

He froze and caught a faint whiff of the light flavorful smell of ripe and juicy apples, almost smothered in the scents of the villagers and other aromatic foods. He growled to himself as he realized Kiba had of course pushed him in the wrong direction of the apples. He stiffly turned on his heel and stomped off down the road, ignoring the mutters from the villagers as he passed by them, carefully dodging people in front of him.

The scent got stronger the closer he got, but he did get confused a few times along the way. When he did make it to the stand he was pleased and slightly angry with this method of training. He bought one apple after pleading with the old woman and replaced the blindfold.

"Want to see how good I can smell… fine… I will follow your scent back to the training ground…" He huffed, carefully sniffing out the musky scent of dog and fox and ran back to the grounds, apple in hand.

Kiba had been eyeing a stop watch the entire time Naruto was gone and look slightly pleased with the finishing time. "It's a good start…" He muttered. "However… you do still need work…"

Naruto whined and flopped to the ground, jealous as he saw Akamaru apparently begin instructing Murasaki on some fighting techniques.

That was how he spent the most of his day, training under Kiba and running around the entire village, working on strengthening his sense of smell. It was rolling near five when they decided to stop. Murasaki panted and had sweat damp fur from the speed and light footed testing and training Akamaru submitted her to.

Naruto felt slightly sick to the stomach and woozy after going on smell hunts all day. However, Kiba did praise him when Naruto had proven he was skilled in smelling out anything quickly. In fact he was pleased to let his friend know that he actually outranked him on the last test when he asked Naruto to describe everything he was able to smell nearby. The boy had had been able to smell anything inside and outside the village, something Kiba struggled to do when pushed.

And so… the two companions were exhausted when they parted from Kiba and Akamaru. The further the duo walked away from the training grounds, the more Naruto's light and slightly carefree mood disappeared. His mind was wandering to that note he read this morning. He felt his stomach knot up in worry and fear.

For once, he felt truly terrified about what was going to happen. It ran deep through him and almost disabled him from its sudden force. Murasaki sensed his fear and whimpered to him, trying to perk him up and focus on other things, to relax and try and enjoy himself.

However, her attempts failed when Naruto stalked into his home, eyeing the empty apartment and its silence threatened to crush down on him. He felt slightly hollow inside as he slunk to the couch and absent mindedly played with the nin-fox's fur.

His mind yelled at him for haven been stupid and creating that dumb plan to attend the festival. His lie possibly ruined any hope he had for his relationship with Sasuke; he felt his chance to enjoy being with someone who could understand him slip through his fingers like water. He fought to contain it but it didn't work… he foresaw himself being rejected and hated by Sasuke, seeing them never speak to each other again.

He forced himself to breath and stops his train of thoughts, fighting back the new urge to cry again. "Damn it…" He wheezed, trying to stop the tears with his fists against his eyes, struggling to stop the need. "Damn it… only you… only you make me cry this much…" He sobbed flipping over to bury his face into the couch cushions.

His entire frame was wracked with the force of his sudden sobs and the silence and cold of his apartment only made it worse. Murasaki was again helpless as Naruto broke down in front of her again. Her heat reached out to the boy, wishing she had a human body long enough to comfort the blonde and silence those tears.

It was clear just how much Naruto had come to rely on his relationship with Sasuke. She hoped that other boy really felt the same way for the blonde. Hoped that raven haired being would accept the boy and end the loneliness they suffered together. She sighed in a foxy manner and settled to use her paws and message his back gently to ease up his tension and help him clam back down.

His self-pity session ended in half an hour when he finally forced himself to stop when his stomach growled in apparent desire for food. He sighed, hating himself for crying as his head throbbed and his nose was stuffed and eyes felt puffy. He hoped that all signs of this would be gone by the time it came to meet up with Sasuke.

He slowly pitched himself to his feet and headed into the kitchen to begin cooking a small meal for the both of them, eyes constantly flickering to the clock.

xXx

Tsuki sighed as she glared at her door, blankets draped loosely around her as she sat with her knees to her chest. She was still in her night clothes and refused to change into the horrible gowns her attendants wanted her to wear.

She felt like something was off today, like someone was sad and depressed when they really shouldn't be. She pondered to herself about that odd sense she got last night, but it was so far away from her at the time she couldn't pinpoint where it came from. She slowly got to her feet and began to rummage for more middle class clothes and changed into them hastily.

She had thrown on a simple, thin tank top with thin straps and a pair of jeans. She headed out the door without catching unwanted attention and planned her escape into Konoha. She had traveled a bit getting ever so closer to the Ichiraku Ramen stand in the hopes of finding Naruto.

She didn't see him and thought he was probably still training or something. She went to walk away and froze at that same wave of sadness washed over her and this time she knew where and who it was coming from.

"My Naruto-senses are tingling…" she muttered to herself and charged towards him at his apartment, full 'Naruto needs me' mode as she burst through his door and found him calmly cooking dinner for himself and the fox… with enough left over for her.

"Uh…" she blinked upon finding that he wasn't crying at all and didn't seem as depressed. She looked puzzled as she closed the door behind her, looking at Naruto as he noticed her arrive and quickly made her a plate as well.

"Tsuki! What are you doing here?" He asked, his fake happy front in place, but she saw through it.

She decided to follow along until the meal was over and then force his problem out of him and try and make him all better, try and make go back to his smiles and pranks if it worked. However, her gaze told her that this was not a simple light matter and if she dug too far and not matter what she did, she may never fix his problem.

"I dropped by to visit… and escape my attendants… they were driving me nuts…" She smiled warmly as she eyed the simple stir-fry he had cooked. She took a small bite and winced at how plain it was, however she knew it was the most he could do with how the village was. In fact she was surprised that he was able to get vegetables and seafood to make it with.

He smiled at her and nodded. "Well… as a high ranked Lady… shouldn't you please them and do your duties…?" He asked her, seeming small and unusual in her eyes. It confirmed that something was hurting him inside.

They seemed to eat in silence after that, the fake mood Naruto had created appeared to be slipping from its place; it cracked because he knew she would always see through his small lies. But, he counted on her to see through them, to see him and try and support him through anything and give advice whenever she could.

She paused, looking at the remains on her plate. "Naruto… I know something is wrong… will you please tell me?" She looked up at him with worried eyes as she moved the plate away from her.

The blonde looked down at his food, pushing it around on his plate. It became clear that he hadn't eaten much and just made it look like he did. He sighed a sigh of the ages, making Tsuki almost regret asking Naruto what was going on.

"I… I…" He puzzled and tried to force the words out of his mouth, to tell her everything that he done and explain his situation with Sasuke. He felt the tears come, but this time it was easier to fight them since he already cried too much already.

He took in a deep breath, gather together all he could before he told her everything. "You know about the festival and how I am not allowed to really partake in it?"

Tsuki nodded, feeling a little upset with such an unfair decree. She also was upset that they decided to hold such a festival to begin with.

"Well… I really wanted to go so I created a disguise… and called myself Susumu." He paused and thought about the mask he had given over to Sasuke, silently hoping that it was still intact and in Sasuke's possession.

"I was enjoying the parade on the first night… when Sasuke showed up and next thing I know… we spent the entire night with each other…" He trailed off and blushed deeply as he recalled their brief intimate moment on Sasuke's doorstep.

"And… I realized something I never would have normally thought about… I learned that I… I… really love him…" He looked flustered and worried about Tsuki's response. He looked up seeing that she was happy for his choice, however she sensed that something happened last night.

"So… you decided to tell him the truth of your identity… last night…?" She asked, slowly coming over to him and wrapping her arms around him to comfort him as he nodded slowly.

"I told him, but I was scared of his response… so I ran away from him…" Tsuki nodded, not caring how intense his grip became on her arms. "And… he wrote a note saying he wanted to see me tonight…"

"I see…" Tsuki muttered. "I think you should go Naruto… it might be good for you… don't worry about a feeling of rejection… remember we are here for you…"

Naruto nodded. "I know… I'm… I'm still worried about the outcome…"

Tsuki sighed and broke away from him and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "Which would you prefer then… a life having never talked to him tonight… or life in which you did…?"

He sighed, understanding what she was getting at. "I see… I guess I should do the dishes and get ready to leave…" He looked at the clock and saw that it read seven. "I only have an hour before I have to be there…"

Tsuki smiled. "Go shower and get dressed… I will do the dishes for you…" He nodded and headed towards the bathroom as she gathered up the dirty dishes. "Oh! I will also walk you over to the meeting place if you would like…"

Naruto looked back and smiled. "Thanks Tsuki… it would make me feel better…" He grinned, truly feeling brighter despite his fears. He headed into the bathroom and jumped into the shower as quick as he could. He decided to just use the shampoos with that light scent and not mask it with the other soaps.

He exited the shower, feeling refreshed and better in spirit and hastily dried his hair and body and squirmed into another outfit Tsuki had bought him. The baggy black pants hung low around his hips and the simple black tank with an orange spiral in the middle showed off some of his midriff. He threw on a black jacket and exited the shower, reading the time and was pleased to see Tsuki was just finishing up with the chores in the kitchen.

"Ready to go…?" She asked, drying her hands on a brown dish towel. She received a nod and saw Murasaki jump into place around his neck. She shook her head, pleased to see him look chipper and free of worries.

"We shouldn't run into many people since today is the last day of the festival…" She mused leading him out and down into the streets. It was true as even the main areas seem to be devoid of anybody. Off in the distance they could hear the drums and chatter of the festival and smell the array of foods being cooked.

They walked in comfortable silence, Naruto taking comfort with her helping him get through this. Their guard was completely down and they figured there would be no chance of an attack upon them. That turned out to be a mistake, before either one could notice they found themselves surrounded by a group of older ninjas.

"Shit…" Tsuki cursed, quickly drawing out a kunai as Naruto followed suit. "what do you want?!" She shouted, feeling nervous from the waves of hate boiling off of them. Naruto sensed it as well, growling faintly as he clutched his weapon.

"We want the demon carrier… his life should be taken and destroyed for what he has done to the village…" Came a female voice from one of the ninjas, the only one it looked like in the group. "It is thanks to him we have lost everything we once held dear…"

"You still don't get it do you!" Tsuki shouted, looking for a way to get Naruto to safety. "This boy did nothing… he is not responsible for all that death…"

A male scoffed at her. "So? We no longer care about that since the fact remains that the demon is in him… kill the boy kill the demon…"

Tsuki gritted her teeth and edged closer to Naruto, hoping she could sense him ready to fight, but that wasn't so. Something was off again about him, his form looked dejected and ready to accept their death offer. She looked at his eyes and they were not the blue she recalled but a milky blue.

She gasped and scanned the ninjas around them, looking for one using the technique against Naruto. "You low lives…" She muttered and charged when she located him at least, flying at him with her kunai ready.

All hell broke loose. Half the group moved to Naruto, the rest attacked her. She fought desperately, trying to find off the woman mainly, trying to break free and snatch Naruto back.

"Naruto!" She shouted, deflecting a kunai blade, trying to twist and block another only to miss and have the blade dig deep into her forearm. They closed in around her, blocking her vision of the blonde as he disappeared into the shadows. "Damn it! Don't do this!!" She half begged stabbing one member in his lung, her eyes searching for the woman. It seemed like she was the cause of this attack.

She gritted her teeth and charged after her, throwing the others to the side, plunging her kunai into the woman's heart and swung back around to the men, panting heavily and clutching her wounded arm.

"I'm not dead yet you bitch!" The woman shouted and flung multiple throwing weapons into her back as she crumpled to the ground. The men leered at her as Tsuki collapsed and her blood started to drain form her body. They grabbed the woman and left her to die.

"Sasuke… maybe Sasuke can help… maybe he can save Naruto…" She muttered, hoping Murasaki would fend them off of Naruto until then. She slowly got to her feet, ignoring the pain in her back and arm. She ran… ran for all she was worth to Sasuke.

xXx

Something wasn't right… he could sense something was off. Then again, he wasn't expecting the blonde to show up anyway. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking at the watch he had with him. It was half past eight and there was no sign of Naruto. His heart ached slightly as he continued to wait, hoping maybe the dobe was still eating ramen or playing a quick prank.

"Who am I kidding…" he muttered and laid back on the fourth Hokage's head.

He tensed, the smell of blood reaching him and he heard the faint sounds of labored breathing. His eyes narrowed as he slowly moved to scope out what was happening, shocked to see Tsuki fighting up the hill with severe wounds.

"Sasuke… its Naruto… he was taken by some ninjas! There were too many and I couldn't block them all and they used some weird juutsu on him…" She wheezed out quickly as he walked over to her.

Instantly he grew worried about what was going to happen. "Where did they take him?" He lifted her up, trying to force her to hang in a little bit longer so he could help the one person they held higher above the rest.

"I'm not sure… I followed their signatures as long as I can… it looks like they headed out to a small compound just outside the village gates." She wheezed. "Don't worry about me… help is coming for me…" She smiled and held up a chakra bug.

Sasuke nodded, understanding that Shino was well on his way to help her now. Without saying another word he disappeared using teleportation juutsu to the gates, running the rest of the way.

'Naruto… I don't know why I feel this way for you… I don't know why I am not angry with you… so please… hang in there for me… just a little longer… please…' He thought to himself, sweat forming on his brow as he finally located the little compound and could hear voices from within.

He silenced himself, focusing in on the room and trying to decided when he should burst in and save Naruto without causing a fatal move.

His mind was fuzzy and his neck felt light. 'Murasaki…' He thought worried about his little nin-fox. He could recall being surrounded by the ninjas when he was on his way to face Sasuke. 'Damn… they couldn't wait until I had my heart shattered?'

He tried to move as he opened his eyes, feeling an odd lightness about his entire body. "Waugh!" he shouted, finding himself bound, his shirt pushed up high and pants pulled down, the chakra seal on his stomach glowing. Kyuubi was pissed for some reason.

He fought his bindings, glaring at the ninjas in the room. "What do you want! Leave me alone…" Pain laced throughout him as he suddenly found a kunai jabbed into his leg and another held against his throat.

"Silence brat!" Spat the male, now in charge since the woman was killed by Tsuki. He towered over him. "We're going to kill you and that damn demon…kill the boy kill the demon…" He sneered, twirling a dagger within one hand.

Naruto grimaced. Another attempt on his life to add to the many other times, but never was the past attempts so underhanded. He shivered and struggled against the binds again as he came closer with that dagger. He felt Kyuubi's chakra surface as death loomed near for the both of them.

"It won't work… relying on him…" As soon as it was mentioned, more pain raced through him as a hidden barrier attacked the rising chakra. Naruto hissed in pain and fell back on the floor, shivering as the cool cement soothed the slightly burned flesh.

"Hmm… I daresay… who would ever think that such a monster would look as nice as he does…" The man muttered, trailing the dagger down across the exposed chest and around the seal.

The sensation chilled him and fear surfaced. He resumed fighting the bindings, eyeing that dagger and trying to ignore the sudden strong scents in the room. The fear consumed him and all he could think about was crying out for help.

That was when he noticed it, slowly the number of men in the room was decreasing and he caught a brief glimpse of raven hair and pale skin. His fear left him for now as he glared at the man who was now running a hand over him along with the dagger, inflicting wounds wherever possible.

He growled at the man, trying to continue the act, to not let Sasuke be revealed to them. "You can never break me… no matter how hard you try…" He taunted the man, daring him to continue as Kyuubi slowly surfaced, blending the chakra so that the barrier did not react. Claws sprouted along with fangs as he spoke.

The man leaned back, dagger dripping some blood as he felt the sudden change in power from the boy. "Ah… I thought the demon could surface in more than way manner… she didn't believe me either…" He then slashed a large mark across the top of Naruto's chest, watching the blood spill out and seeing the demon's ability to heal him working into action.

Naruto panted, gritting his teeth against the pain. "That hurts you damn bastard!" He shouted, flexing his hands, trying to get the claws to slash through the binding. He caught another glimpse of Sasuke and counted that only five men were left in the room, easy enough for the both of them to take down if Sasuke were to free him.

"Heh… I don't really care…" He then slowly dragged the dagger down the blonde's chest, slowly opening him up towards the seal. The pain was immense and Kyuubi snarled deep within him, the fused chakra going to work on healing those wounds.

Then Sasuke finally jumped in, planting a foot into the man's face, sending him flying across the floor and a kunai expertly slashing through the ropes that bound Naruto's hands. The four other men looked on in shock as they realized the others were already dead.

Sasuke smirked, face smeared slightly with the blood of his foes and some had splattered over his clothes. Before they could move he had killed another and started fighting with the rest.

Naruto sat up, panting as Kyuubi worked on his wounds and breaking the barrier on his chakra. He slashed at the bindings on his feet and pulled back up his pants, feeling more comfortable now about fighting as his shirt slid back into place.

The wounds sealed smoothly as he charged, fighting alongside Sasuke. The sight was something to behold as the two worked perfectly with each other, moving with ease around each other and providing each other support. Within very little time at all, they stood back to back, both panting heavily, kunai still raised as all the ninjas were now dead in the room.

Then an eerie silence settled over them as Naruto realized who he was with. He fought the sudden urge to tackle Sasuke and ravage him, wanting to feel him writhe underneath him, much like the first night. He turned, ready to leave without talking to him, ready to head back home alone and shower.

Something stopped him, his pants must have been caught on something and it wouldn't let him break free. He turned and found Sasuke had grabbed him, his head was down and he looked so fragile at that moment. Then he could faintly hear him…

"Don't… don't go…"

Naruto blinked, slightly confused by this. He tugged harder and tore himself away from the Uchiha. "I'm sorry… but I don't want to hear…!" His eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly found the leaner man against him, clutching at his shirt and fighting himself to speak. His arms wanted so badly to wrap around the Uchiha, to experience those sensations on that doorstep.

"I don't know… I don't know why… but don't go yet… don't." Came the small voice from the Uchiha.

Naruto sighed, feeling even more confused than before. "Geeze… I was the one almost violated and killed tonight and you're acting like the girl…" he shook his head, still ignoring his arms' demand to hug Sasuke close to him.

"Shut up…" He replied, burying his face into the blonde's chest, not caring that they both were bloody. "Just shut up…" He started to shake as the images of what could have happened ran through his head. His support, his stabilizer was almost killed tonight and it actually frightened him and angered him immensely.

Naruto sighed again, this time hugging the blonde. "I meant what I said Sasuke… I meant every word… if you don't want this I suggest you leave me be…" His heart wrenched as he said those words and he felt the sudden urge to cry rise up.

Sasuke stilled, his heart racing as he fought himself back under control. He looked up, his glaring at him with an intense emotion. "I ought to smack you… beat you… or something for lying to me…"

Naruto flinched, but seemed to be braced for such a move from the Uchiha. He looked at him from the corner of his eye, shocked to see the sudden pools of tears form. "But… I can't find myself to do that… I thought about it for hours, agonized over every detail."

He paused to catch his breath. "Everything led me to the same conclusion, no matter what I reasoned… I need you… much as I hate to admit it, but I need you…" Sasuke blushed, hoping the weight of all his emotions would carry over to the blonde.

Naruto grinned, realizing what he was trying to say. He didn't know what to say nor what to do now really. He brought a hand to his cheek, smearing the blood even more on his cheek, slowly leaning in and placed a gentle kiss upon those luscious lips.

He pulled back, chuckling at Sasuke's dazed look. "Come on… we're both covered in blood… we can shower back at my place…" He started to walk out, pleased to hear the sudden arrival of ANBU to clean up the mess they had made.

The Uchiha followed after, still dazed and slightly upset at the blonde already. He didn't protest though because the idea of a shower sounded really pleasing, but kind off awkward. They just revealed their feelings for crying out loud… his head swam as his mind recalled being pushed up against his door, a hand trying to slide up his chest, the intense heat enveloping them both.

He growled at himself as all the sensations ran south. It couldn't be that bad if they just took turns showering. Before he noticed he found himself inside and found himself nose to nose with the fox. She looked like she was pain but still functioning and would survive. He hadn't even notice Naruto scoop her up and fuss over her on the way over.

She blinked, forcing him to as well. She then licked his cheek and forced herself out of Naruto's grip and onto the couch to sleep. He stopped, watching as Naruto headed into the bathroom for another shower. He blushed and stood in the middle of the room, afraid to sit down anywhere and get blood on things.

Time passed and he looked around, taking in the apartment's cleanliness, not something he had really expected from the blonde. He felt nervous, something he wasn't really used to being. But he did know he felt strongly for the blonde and wanted him. Needed him in his life despite how hard he tried to push everyone away.

The door opened and Naruto exited in a puff of steam. "It's free now…" he was blushing, obviously the same thoughts had ran through his mind. He then trotted down the hall, messing with his hair. "I have spare clothes and towels ready for you…" He then disappeared into his room.

He sat on his bed, blushing furiously as he heard Sasuke in the shower. He ran a hand over his head, finding everything to be unreal. It wasn't really supposed to work out like this, but he wasn't going to complain now. He knew Sasuke was really stubborn and said what he meant.

The water stopped running and a timid knock sounded on his door. It opened without him saying anything and Sasuke's head popped in, looking a little nervous. He stepped in all the way and the nervousness disappeared and Naruto felt the stoic mask try and slip into place.

"Thanks for the shower… I'll leave you alone finally… I'll see you tomorrow…!" He was cut off this time as the blonde slammed a hand on the wall next to his head. Aggression rolled off him in waves as the blonde looked into Sasuke's face.

Kyuubi was active beneath that gaze and the blonde seemed to fight for control for a moment and won. He was panting softly, slightly worrying Sasuke. Then came a fierce and insistent kiss, drowning him in the sudden force and sensation.

He clutched at the blonde's shoulders as tanned hands roamed his back and sides, forcing the kiss deeper. Sasuke felt the wall disappear from his back as he was dragged somewhere and then pushed down. He realized he had been forced onto the bed, but the sudden feel of skin on skin erased all thoughts from his mind as his body ached with a sudden primal need for more contact.

Before he knew it his clothes were no longer confining him and the tanned hands traced circles all over him. He moaned as he felt Naruto's tongue slide down from his neck to one nipple, shocking him slightly as he suddenly bit down and moved to the other one.

His hips shifted against the blonde as he seemed content to lavish the smooth pale skin with caresses and kisses. The room got hot and dizzying as his mind became hazed with pleasure, his body aching for more touches as his breaths came rougher after every moan.

Naruto smirked from where he was tracing circles around Sasuke's navel with his tongue. Somewhere along the way he had shedded his own clothing, fighting the urge to take him as those pale slender hands roamed over his back and chest, as Sasuke writhed with pleasure beneath him.

His heart was soaring as Sasuke had reciprocated his feelings in his own roundabout way and allowed him this pleasure. He moaned as a nail flicked across one of his nipples, causing him to pause from his slow descent southwards. He eyed Sasuke with amusement as he grasped it gently, finding nails digging into his arms as shock ran through out Sasuke's body, followed by another moan. He toyed with the tip, rubbing it, watching Sasuke's flushed face of embarrassment as he bit down on one knuckle.

He smiled and trailed his tongue up one side and enveloped him with his hot and moist mouth, sucking carefully, watching Sasuke lean back with another moan, this time with his name coming off his lips. A hand tangled itself within his blonde hair as Naruto moved, trying to create a necessary distraction for Sasuke, trying to prevent those thin hips from jerking into his mouth.

He focused on pleasuring him pulling free for a moment, not failing to catch the faint whimper at the sudden loss. Naruto smiled leaned up for a deep kiss and then carefully pushed him back down on the bed and pulling back, sucking two fingers.

Apparently his intent to make sure things weren't painful took too long, somehow. He moaned himself as Sasuke started to reciprocate the pleasure he was giving him. He moaned his name, not having expected such a thing from the raven haired lover. He tried to focus as he reached down Sasuke's back, searching for the entrance to slip his fingers inside.

He found it with ease, whimpering himself as Sasuke arched up into himself from the sudden intrusion. He felt bad and looked at Sasuke with concern. However, the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan sent him an intense glare, eyes glazed over with the pleasure still coursing through him. Naruto gasped as he pulled his fingers away, suddenly worried that he had angered Sasuke.

"No… I… I want to continue…" He muttered and shifted back onto the bed, legs spread to invite Naruto to him. The blonde blushed, definitely not expecting this from him. He wasn't going to complain as he continued to stretch him and search for the pleasure zone. The moans grew louder from Sasuke as Naruto still gave his member attention with one free hand.

"Naruto… I'm… I'm about to…" A tight squeeze choked off his sentence as Naruto tried to prevent him from releasing already. Then his entire body jerked as his back arched when his finger had slid back in, brushing that pleasure zone, forcing his name back into room.

The blonde smiled as he pulled his fingers away and readied himself to enter him, still slick from earlier. "Sasuke…" He drawled, running his fingers lightly along those pale sides of flesh. "Are you sure about this…?" He asked, wanting one last confirmation before he followed through.

Pain hit him as he found fists start to beat on his arms. "I'm not some fucking girl! Of course I'm ready!" He snarled, wanting to be drowned back in that pleasure cloud again.

Naruto smiled and slowly pushed himself in, fighting the urge to release so early just from entering him. He felt the Uchiha tense underneath him, nails clawing at his back from the sudden pain. He waited, panting heavily along with Sasuke as he tried to adjust. Moments passed before the pale lover relaxed enough for Naruto to try an experimental thrust, pleased to see the face of pain quickly disappear into the haze of pleasure. Assured that he wasn't about to be impaled with a kunai, he pulled back and pushed back in, delighting in the gasps and moans coming from underneath him.

He sped up, moving into him with more speed and force, seeking that pleasure zone once more, finding it with amazing results as Sasuke shouted out in pleasure, forcing the blonde to repeat that cry with each thrust, holding onto one smooth leg while one hand trailed to pump his new lover's member, trying to bring them both over the edge, finding himself steadily unable to hold back.

Sasuke was breathless from all the sensations, gripping the sheets, the pleasure coiling around him and seeking for the release. In and out, in and out he felt, relishing each movement Naruto made, feeling hotter and almost like he would die from pleasure overload.

Then they found it, plummeted down the abyss as they released themselves in a sudden orgasm, drifting in the sharp waves of pleasure, panting for air, searching each other for more gentle caresses. Sasuke didn't mind the sudden weight from Naruto as he collapsed on his chest, panting heavily from the intense aftermath.

They exchanged gentle kisses and caress some more before Naruto pulled free and lay next to him, wrapping his arms around the avenger. Finding a sudden deep sense of belonging and comfort.

"Sasuke… I love you…" he nuzzled his cheek and fought the urge to drift into sleep.

Sasuke smiled, a short and rare gift for them to see. "I… love you as well…" He almost puzzled over the words, finding it strange to be saying them, but they also summed up everything he felt for the idiotic blonde who had somehow stolen away everything he tried to fake.

Then he drifted asleep next to him, content and pleased with everything. Neither of them realizing that Murasaki had borne witness to everything.

**A/N: **_Finally… finished this part… like I said before, check out my profile to see my forum! Don't forget to review! And I wouldn't be upset if you give me hate mail! _


	3. Chapter 3

**Painted Masks**

Epilogue

It was an almost peaceful ending, she thought, as she watched them settle into slumber last night. They weren't exactly in the best shape, well… she wasn't. Her sides ached and her whole body throbbed in pain still, but it was fading. Assured they had enough rest she leapt onto the bed, carefully walking towards their heads, eyes crinkled in a foxy smile.

Her master and his lover were curled into a tight ball together and had the most peaceful and relaxed expressions she had ever seen on a person. Faces of happiness and contentment. She wanted to wake them so she could be fed, however that relaxed air around them made her pause before gently licking Sasuke's cheek.

She was rewarded with a groan and a hand trying to bat her away. She nipped at his fingers, looking into dark orbs almost instantly as he woke up. She heard a faint growl come from Naruto as Sasuke shifted slightly in his arms, trying to organize his thoughts.

He looked at the nin-fox and rubbed her sides gently, eyes assessing her reaction and trying to decide what medical aid she needed. He moved again, sitting up and pushing at Naruto's arms. The blonde get up unsteadily, rubbing his eyes and blearily looking towards Sasuke.

"What's up… we have plenty of time before we have to get up…" He mumbled running a hand through his mussed hair and fighting back a massive yawn.

Sasuke fought a smile and pointed at Murasaki. "We need to take her to Hana… I think she may have a few broken ribs…"

Naruto blinked, mind still hazed with sleep as he looked at her. As the haze slowly lifted and memories were recalled the blonde jolted out of bed, scrambling for his clothes and trying to head to bathroom. "Then let's hurry before Hana gets busy with other animals… can you feed her real quick?" He asked, tripping over his legs as he fell into the bathroom.

Sasuke watched the antics with slight interest and chuckled when he believed the blonde to preoccupied to hear him. Murasaki herself was shaking her head and looked to Sasuke, whimpering for food. He ran a hand through his own messy hair, wincing when his fingers got caught in a knot.

He sighed, deciding to finally move towards the end of the bed, wincing at the pain that shot up his backside. He also felt stiff and sore all around, his mood darkened as each movement became a little painful.

"You better enjoy this meal…" He muttered darkly to the nervous Murasaki. She followed him closely, a little concerned for him as he made his way into the kitchen and grabbed her food. He had thrown on some shorts on the way there and he decided to relax against the counter, letting the cool stone soothe the aching muscles. He noticed that if he kept moving the pain began to lessen to more bearable levels.

The nin-fox ate slowly, experiencing her own muted pain. She did have a chance to savor the flavors of the homemade meals Naruto liked to make for her. She wasn't fazed in her current task when Sasuke left the kitchen to roam the apartment until Naruto was done showering.

Sasuke was impressed once more with this little home. It wasn't as messy or cluttered as everyone else believed. It felt cozy to him, a well lived in apartment despite the first feeling of emptiness from the lack of some furniture and decorations.

The bathroom door opened and a damp Naruto walked out in a puff of steam, clean and fully awake. He smiled as Sasuke looked over and started to head to the bathroom. He captured him in a hug, ignoring the sudden growls from Sasuke as he kissed his cheek, afraid of having his tongue bitten off. "Good morning… did you sleep well?" He asked.

Sasuke muttered, but softened under that bright attitude of his teammate and actually smiled in return. "Morning and I slept fine… though…" He rubbed the small of his back, "Sorer than I expected…" his brows narrowed.

Naruto grimaced and felt a sudden wave of guilt. "I filled the bath for you, go ahead and soak while I cook us breakfast" He smiled, crushing the slightly smaller man against him, before trotting off into the kitchen.

xXx

Naruto walked briskly towards the Inuzuka home, Murasaki cradled in his arms with Sasuke not so far behind. He felt lighter than air, the best he had felt in a long long time. He paused, waiting for Sasuke to catch up.

The Uchiha was still feeling some pain, but was adjusting quiet well to the discomfort. His mood wasn't as dark either since the breakfast Naruto cooked was practically a feast. He had expected instant ramen but was rewarded with pancakes an omelet and other breakfast items.

"Ne Sasuke… can you hold Murasaki for a bit…" The blonde was grinning, holding out the half-asleep nin-fox.

Without thought he took the fox and held her gently. He noticed they had arrived and the dogs were still asleep outside the house. He knew where this was going and let out a sigh as he saw the blonde near the dogs.

"Naruto… leave it…" He muttered and knocked on the door and went inside, smiling faintly at the whine the vessel made, followed by the sounds of the dogs jumping him. Murasaki herself snickered and looked back to the funny scene.

"Aww…" He whined again, leaping up and running inside as well just as Hana appeared from the back.

"Oh… why if it isn't our first nin-fox?" she queried and rushed over, taking her from Sasuke. "Hmmm…" She muttered as she checked the nervous kitsune. "So… what happened that she has these injuries?" she asked with a raised brow, looking at the pair.

"Well…" Naruto began, but Sasuke cut him off.

"Naruto was attacked and she fought to protect him until I showed up…" He spoke bluntly, giving her a cold glare.

Hana tilted her head and blinked. "I wasn't accusing you of this, but there isn't much I can do for broken ribs…" She set Murasaki on the counter and disappeared into the back, returning with bandages and a bottle of medicine. "This is all I can do, dull the pain and wrap her up… it will take about 4 weeks for her to be fully healed, until then no training and no vigorous activity."

She shoved the items into Naruto's hands and carefully returned Murasaki into Sasuke's hands. "I suggest a light diet for her as well, mainly liquid forms of food or something soft."

Naruto nodded, already forming a meal plan in his head for the fox until she was healed. "Anything else?" He asked, wondering just how much this might wind up costing him if he needed to get more things. She shook her head in reply.

"Just stick with what I told you and come back in four weeks or if anything seems off about her recovery…" She beamed a smile at them and excused herself as another group came in seeking her help.

"Let's go…" Sasuke muttered, looking at the relieved blonde. Naruto chuckled and followed him out.

~*~

The pair returned back to the apartment and were relaxing on the couch with Murasaki sprawled out on both of their laps. Naruto insisted on watching some ridiculous movie and Sasuke watched with little interest as he thought about the mask.

He had set it back up where Naruto first pulled it down from just a few days ago. It was still intact and beautiful and much more important to the both of them. Sasuke smiled and looked at Naruto, receiving the same look as well.

Both blushed faintly as they kissed each other in a light and short manner. Things were as they should be now; there was no longer a need for them to hide themselves from each other. They wrapped their arms around each other and settled peacefully on the couch.

"Ne Sasuke…"

"Hmm…?"

"Aishiteru" The blonde smiled, wanting to voice the words he had not expressed last night towards him.

Sasuke stuttered and blushed at the sudden declaration, but moved in closer to the blonde. "Aishiteru… baka…." He mumbled, not caring about anything as they both let an air of tranquility settled over them. It was a new beginning for them and it would take some time to adjust to it, but happiness was finally found.

A smile broke out across the face of an unknown ninja on a roof in front of the window as he took in the scene of the two ninjas resting themselves in peace. One eye crinkled in mirth as ideas were being formed to cause hell between the two.

He wasn't going to make them break up, just mess with them a little. He laughed as he pulled a perverted novel from his pouch and opened to his favorite spot. "Besides that… I think a sort of peace will now come to the village…" He chuckled as he looked more towards the blonde.

"After all he finally has someone he can be himself around… both of them do…" The silver haired genius ninja lay back and settled down to a good book.

~The End~


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